In The End
by KagamineBanana
Summary: "Everything I did was for them. Training? For them. Doing the Hunter Exam? For them. But after that, I don't know... I didn't go to the Zoldyck Mansion for them. I didn't help fight against the Troupe for them. So who was it for? Everything after the Exam was for him... and in the end, I realised that I didn't mind." Kurapika x OC. Rated T to be safe.
1. The X Games X Begin

Me: Starting another story when I already have a bunch I need to do? Not the best choice. HOWEVER, this story has been in my mind for ages and I just can't hold it back anymore. I need to get it out before it explodes. Therefore, this chapter was born. Please don't be mad! *dying from tomatoes being thrown at me*

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter and its 2011 adaptation belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my OCs, sub-plots and anything not included in the original series. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 1: The X Games X Begin

" _I don't want to be here."_

Hunter applicants from all over the world were crowded in this large underground area. There had to be almost 400 applicants down here. Everyone was minding their own business, giving off the aura of "stay out of my way".

" _Don't look at me. Stay away."_

If our eyes crossed, a glare would be thrown my way and the other person would move on. Everyone was tense and obviously unforgiving. If I made the wrong move, who knew what the others would do.

" _Why is someone like me here? I can't handle this pressure."_

On the outside, I was keeping a neutral face. I wasn't outwardly intimidating but I definitely didn't give off a friendly vibe either. I obviously wanted to be left alone. If the people in this room decided to swarm me, I'd have no chance.

" _It's too crowded and hot. I can feel people staring. Are the walls closing in?"_

I made sure to keep my insecurities and personal issues to myself. Sure, I had trained for this moment. I wasn't an idiot, I was definitely prepared for this exam. But being physically prepared and being mentally prepared were two different things. Being here in person was not what I expected and it was making my anxiety go nuts. [1]

" _Everyone's hostile. I'm the odd one out. I can fight sure but these people are way tougher than expected…"_

I had moved myself to a corner, leaning against the wall. Though I glanced up and scanned the grounds occasionally, I didn't make any move to get closer to people. I was here to pass the exam. Nothing more. Nothing less. I wanted nothing to do with these people.

" _Is it my appearance? Or the fact that I'm probably one of the youngest people here? Don't notice me, keep doing what you're doing."_

I had tucked all of my hair away into my hood, my bangs being the only thing hanging free. My baggy coat and hood managed to hide away any and all femineity and youth I had. I didn't want people to see a young girl unprepared to fight if I ever had to spar anyone. The only thing making me stand out from the wall was the shining white badge pinned to the front of my attire.

" _Hunter applicant #355, Chu Reiki. That's all people need to know. They shouldn't even be curious enough to want to know my name…"_

"Yo! You're a rookie right? What's your name?"

"… _Or not?"_

A chubby man had walked up to me. He seemed relatively harmless. A slightly short height, a box nose, a wide smile. He didn't seem overall intimidating. His appearance isn't what put me off. It was that fact that, though others might be fooled by it, it was obvious that his smile was fake. And the vibe coming off of him was the same as others in the room: "Get in my way and I'll get in yours. Do as I want and don't bother me."

"May I ask for your name first?" I asked quietly, lowering my voice slightly to further hide my gender. I didn't want this strange man to get any info about me.

"Oh, pardon me for not introducing myself! My name's Tonpa! This is my thirty-fifth attempt so I can tell you haven't been here before. I take it upon myself to make friends with the rookies and help them out!"

I kept my face neutral, not letting my suspiciousness show. Even his voice sounded fake.

" _There can't be that many rookies this year and I have been here awhile. Did he only just now notice me? No, I think I spotted him watching me before. Was he observing me to see if I was an easy target?"_

"That's very nice of you, Tonpa-san."

He smile widened. He didn't even seem to notice that I haven't given him my name. He probably thought I was warming up to him. In all honesty, I was just being polite so that he'd leave me alone sooner.

"Well, to celebrate our new friendship…" he dug around in bag and pulled out a strange orange can "… you can have one of these! My treat!"

I took the can and shook it slightly, hearing the liquid inside of it swoosh around. It didn't have any labels or writing on it and seemed too cold considering it's probably been in his bag for awhile. Overall, I didn't trust it. Placing it in my bag, I nodded politely and came up with an excuse for not drinking it up straight away.

"Thank you. I'll save it for later, when I'm thirsty, if you don't mind?"

His grin faded slightly but remained there. Laughing nervously, he responded with a "Sure! Better drink it soon before it gets warm though! I'll see you later!" and left. He wanted me to drink it before the exam.

"No way in hell. I don't trust you." I thought as he resumed sitting where he was before. He didn't go and give his juice to anyone else. Was his trick just for me?

"Excuse me…!"

Looking over, I spotted three more people walking into the area. A young boy wearing green, a blond boy wearing a traditional sort of outfit and a man in a suit with a briefcase. The youngest one, the green boy with the spiky hair, seemed to have been the one to speak. Trying to get someone's attention? The trio were probably rookies as well, only just noticing the tenseness in the air. If the green boy was hoping to make friends, he wasn't gonna get any.

Everyone turned away from the newcomers, including me. I didn't want to get involved with anyone. I only talked to Tonpa because he came up to me first.

"Haven't seen you guys around before." Tonpa's voice echoed through the tense silence that had resumed after the boy's outburst. Glancing over, I saw the boy respond to Tonpa and said man jumping down. He was obviously going to try his 'juice' trick with them as well.

" _Good luck to them."_ I thought, turning my head away, _"I wonder if they're smart enough to fall for it?"_

Before I could get my answer, a yell erupted from a few meters away. Turning to look, genuinely surprised at the sudden yell, I saw one of the applicants on his knees. He was holding his arms in the air, or what was left of his arms. Everything from his elbows down was disintegrating into red flowers and it wasn't stopping anytime soon. He was in obvious pain. Just next to him was another applicant.

" _#44, Hisoka. I've heard people murmuring about him. Why do I suspect he did it?"_

Hisoka very quickly started speaking, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, how peculiar… His arms seem to have become flower petals."

Just his voice alone creeped me out. It was obvious he was the cause of this guy's pain.

Throwing his arms out in a "look here" motion, he continued speaking ominously.

"No smoke and mirrors here."

I saw out of the corner of my eye the green boy gasp. He seemed genuinely confused and creeped out. A guy losing his arms because of a creepy clown isn't exactly the best thing for a kid to see.

Hisoka continued talking, directing it to the guy in pain specifically.

"Do take care. When you bump into someone, you should apologise."

" _That's what this is about?"_ I sighed and looked away, not wanting to see anymore, _"Figures. People were bound to turn against each other eventually. It's what comes with this hostile environment."_

It was the first eventful thing to happen today. I found the exam site with ease thanks to some nearby magical beasts and nothing had happened since I had arrived. It had started to get boring. However, I would've rather it stay boring. Meeting Tonpa and seeing a guy lose his arms isn't exactly what I wanted to happen today.

I heard a faint dripping sound and looked over. It seems Tonpa had given his cans to the newcomers and the green boy was letting the juice flow out of his mouth and onto the ground with a grossed out look on his face.

"Tonpa-san, this juice must have expired. It tastes funny."

The suit guy instantly spitted out the juice in his mouth and started complaining. The blond simply tipped the can over and poured out the orange juice while Tonpa started rambling excuses.

Pulling my own can out of my pocket, I examined it one more time. _"It expired? I expected worse than that. That can't be it."_ I thought as I cracked open the can and took a hesitant sip. My eye widened and I instantly coughed up the juice, causing people to look over at me to see what was up.

" _Laxatives. Strong ones too."_

In the past, I have been forced to endure laxatives. [2] Strong ones. The "no scent or taste" kind. After awhile, you can tell when something has laxatives in it just by experience. It may be hard to tell but laxatives DO have a taste, just a very faint taste. I was beyond relieved that I didn't drink it all in one gulp.

The trio and Tonpa had looked over at me as well as I upheaved the juice. Tonpa instantly got their attention, said something and speed-walked away hurriedly. It was obvious he was caught from their and my reactions alone.

Grabbing out a water bottle, I chugged down some water. Being used to laxatives and being immune to them were two different things. If any of it remained in my system, which I doubted cause I just coughed it all up, I needed to dilute it so it wouldn't have as bad as an effect.

A loud ring sounded throughout the room. A wall started to rise up, creating a loud rumble. Having satisfied myself with my water intake, I quickly put the bottle back into my bag and threw away the can, watching the wall rise. A man dressed in a purple suit stood there, holding a weird-looking alarm.

Everyone watched in silence as the wall completely rose and the purple man started to speak.

"I apologise for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has passed. The Hunter Exam will now begin!"

I felt happiness grow as I listening to him talk. Things should start getting interesting now.

" _Let the games begin."_

* * *

Omake:

I heard a faint dripping sound and looked over. It seems Tonpa had given his cans to the newcomers and the green boy was letting the juice flow out of his mouth and onto the ground with a grossed out look on his face.

"Tonpa-san, this juice must have expired. It tastes funny."

The suit guy instantly spitted out the juice in his mouth and started complaining. The blond simply tipped the can over and poured out the orange juice while Tonpa started rambling excuses.

His excuses were quickly cut off when the green boy started talking. Except his voice was deeper and seemed to be multiplying.

" **By the darkest sun that casts its menacing rays on the furthest madness, we sense your intentions - Tonpa the Rooker Crusher."**

Tonpa was confused and so was I. Time seemed to stand still. No one was moving or reacting in any way to this strange boy. His eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Is anyone else currently seeing this?"

" **The jabbering of mad cultists whisper wicked words on the temporal winds."**

His eyes blackened and red dot-like pupils rolled forward.

"Anyone? Any of the two people right next to me?

The blond and the suit man stayed frozen in time. A red pentagram formed on the boy's forehead.

" **They inform us that you are not to be trusted. Usurper. Usurper."**

Time seemed to go on again as the boy's markings disappeared, his eyes reverted to normal and the scene played out as usual. Tonpa seemed like he was about to wet himself.

I turned and looked at anything but the weird boy. My mind was racing and I felt sick.

" _I should not have watched 50% Off_ [3] _last night before I went to bed. I know omakes never make sense but DAMN was that weird."_

* * *

[1] – Chu has anxiety issues which will be explained later.

[2] – This is related to her anxiety issues and will be explained later.

[3] – Which is true! I really should NOT have watched 50% Off (A Free! parody on youtube) before bed. The whole omake is a parody of Episode 10. I got the idea for it when I paused the HxH episode to write part of this chapter and the moment I paused it on made Gon look evil. It reminded me of demon Haru to the point where I couldn't resist an omake.

* * *

Me: This has got to be one of the best first chapters I've ever witten. Like, holy crap, this is such a good chapter. And I just bet chapters in the future will be better and much longer than this! I promise my other stories will get done but I'll also be working on this as well! I hope you enjoyed and stay cool!


	2. I X Can't X Run!

Me: I'm glad this has gotten good reviews so far! I honestly didn't expect it to go well!

Gon: Hmm? Why?

Me: *wishy-washy hand motion* Reasons!

Killua: *pout* That's not a reason, baka!

To 666The-Kyojin-Alchemist666:

Me: I'm glad you like it!

Gon: Usuuuurpeeer!

Chu: Please don't hug me…

To Renaglory:

Me: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I couldn't resist putting it in there! X3

Gon: **By the sunken depths of the screeching horrors-**

Kurapika: Cut it out, they've had enough.

Tonpa: I KNEW YOU PEOPLE KNEW HE COULD DO THAT!

To MidoriEmerald13:

Me: Thank you! I'm glad you like it, I always appreciate good feedback! I have moments of writer's block and have, at one point, stopped updating for over a year. HOWEVER, I vow to keep my updates regular and frequent now that holidays are on! :D

Chu: Wait until she stops updating for a year then you won't like it so much-

Me: Shut your face!

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter and its 2011 adaptation belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my OCs, sub-plots and anything not included in the original series. Enjoy.

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Chapter 2: I X Can't X Run

Previously:

"I apologise for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has passed. The Hunter Exam will now begin!"

I felt happiness grow as I listening to him talk. Things should start getting interesting now.

" _Let the games begin."_

* * *

"A final caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you."

No one moved an inch. It was to be expected. We all worked so hard to get here, no one was gonna back down now. After a short silence with no one moving, the man shifted and started talking again.

"Very well. All 404 applicants will participate in Phase One."

Turning and starting to walk, everyone quickly followed the weird purple man with the extremely long legs. Pushing myself off the wall, I began walking in the middle of the group. Glancing to the side, I could see the green boy and the other two walking slightly behind me. I didn't know why, but they interested me. Maybe it was because it was weird to see an older man travelling with a teenager and a smaller kid? Either way, I made a mental note to keep an eye on them. Focusing back to the front of the group, I could see the man start walking faster. Though he looked like he was still striding along, it got to the point where we all had to run to keep up.

" _I hope this isn't a running phase."_ I thought, sighing quietly as I picked up the pace, _"This baggy coat isn't exactly the best thing for it. Not temperature wise but tripping wise."_

Everyone was obviously getting confused. Weren't we supposed to just follow him? Why was he making us run after him like lost puppies?

"I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase."

"Second Phase? What about Phase One?" I heard one of the people upfront ask. The response was quick.

"It has already commenced. You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the exam's First Phase."

"Follow you? That's it?"

The whole crowd was murmuring in confusion as they raced to catch up. My dread was slowly building.

" _Oh no… Oh don't tell this phase is an…"_

"Yes. I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need to follow me."

"… _endurance test."_

I huffed quietly and kept jogging, fast enough to keep up but not at my full speed to conserve energy. Just when I had hoped this wouldn't be a running phase, it turned to be just that.

"I see how it is." I heard the blond from before start speaking. He seemed a lot more mature then I had expected.

"This test is weird…" I heard the green boy respond, followed by the man in the suit responding with a "I expect this is an endurance test".

I tuned out of their conversation at that point. It didn't interest me enough to hear the old man keep babbling.

An hour and a half later, I heard the old man start calling out "Oi!" to catch someone's attention. People were starting to look but I didn't glance behind me to see what was up. Whoever he was calling to was obviously ignoring him and it was causing a ruckus. I didn't realise it was me he was calling to until I felt him tug on my coat sleeve while saying "Don't ignore me!"

Turning to look at him, I lowered my voice again and responded with a "You're talking to me?"

"Yeah! I was wondering why you're wearing that coat! It's impractical for an endurance test!" he started to ramble on. I slowed down a bit so that I as at the trio's pace and resumed the conversation.

"What I wear is none of your business."

"I'm just surprised you haven't tired out yet, little boy." [1]

My neutral façade nearly slipped to irritation but I quickly composed myself before I could snap at him. He seemed to have an idea before speaking to me with recognition.

"I saw you earlier coughing up juice, didn't I? I know that old man's juice was expired but I didn't think it was that bad."

Figuring I had no reason to lie, I quickly responded with "It wasn't expired. It had laxatives in it."

"Really?" the green boy spoke up this time, him and the blond had been silently listening to our conversation.

"That was close then!" The man shouted, his voice rising way higher than necessary. The people staring were starting to bother me.

"How do you know?" the blond asked, his tone reserved and polite. He wasn't intending to offend.

Looking back up to the front, I responded with the same tone of voice.

"I have my ways. You could call it natural intuition."

"Wow! That's amazing!"

I couldn't help but feel amazing. This innocent looking ball of green adorableness made it all the way to the exam? I almost smiled.

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed over us until the green by spoke up again.

"Nee, nee, what's your name mister?"

I swallowed down the urge to correction and instead looked over the group. The three of them were all looking at me curiously, the small boy smiling brightly. They seemed like honest, good people. But I couldn't help but be apprehensive. Though the way they acted wasn't fake like Tonpa's, they could very well be just better actors.

Sensing my hesitance, the boy smiled wider and started talking again.

"I'm Gon Freecss and this is Kurapika and Leorio! You can tell us your name when you're ready, 'kay?"

Admiration for this honest boy kept bubbling inside me and I found it increasingly hard to keep a cold face. Deciding that they were good enough people to at least work together with, I focused on the front and quietly said my name.

"Chu Reiki. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Chu-san!"

I could see the blond politely nod out of the corner of my eye. I ignored Leorio's "Chu's a feminine name though…" and kept running with them silently.

They may not be my friends yet, but working together with them should be fine for now. At least they weren't Tonpa.

* * *

Another half an hour has passed and I found it hard to keep a steady pace without nearly tripping over my oversized coat. Thirty kilometres of steady running wasn't good for a very clumsy person. Many applicants have already dropped out as well. I was not gonna be one f them, despite my clumsiness.

Leorio seemed to be struggling with the course and had dropped behind significantly. Maybe it was his briefcase or his suit that was making it hard for him? Gon had dropped as well but he didn't seem exhausted. Maybe he just wanted to be there for Leorio?

" _He seems like a nice kid. All of them seem kind and honest."_ I thought. I wasn't ready to let them in, but it was reassuring to know that I had people being nice to me. Even if they may end up just being good actors.

"Are you tired?"

Kurapika had stretched slightly ahead of me and was looking back towards me. He was probably referring to my obviously oversized coat.

"No. I'm fine. How are you faring?"

"Pretty well. Leorio and Gon don't seem as well though."

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

The both of us settled into a comfortable silence, Kurapika turning his head back towards the examiner. The silence was very quickly interrupted by, once again, Leorio.

"Hey! Wait up, kid!"

Glancing behind me, I saw Leorio yelling at a young kid that looked to be around Gon's age riding a skateboard. For a brief second, I focused on how ridiculously puffy his hair looked. [2]

"Hmm?"

"You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you using a skateboard? That's cheating!"

"Why?"

"Why… This is an endurance test!"

"No, it isn't. The examiner only told us to follow him." I heard Gon respond. The kid did raise a few pointers. I turned and faced the front as the boy, whom I heard his name is Killua, started talking to Gon, ignoring the rambling Leorio.

Leorio's loud footsteps started growing fainter and I no longer heard the skateboard wheels, meaning Killua was long off his skateboard and Leorio was falling behind.

I silently prayed he'd be fine.

* * *

About four hours had passed and we had to have travelled at least sixty kilometres. Leorio and the others were way behind Kurapika and I at this point as we slowly made our way towards the front.

" _I don't know how much more my feet can take!"_ I thought, panting lightly. My stamina was nearly used up. _"I've nearly tripped almost 100 times! When are we gonna reach the next phase!?"_

Kurapika was travelling slightly ahead of me still and seemed to still be in perfect condition. How he was able to run this long without even breaking a sweat was unimaginable!

" _Or maybe he's like me and he's just hiding it?"_ I reasoned with myself _"In that case he's way better at hiding things away than me."_

I was so caught up in my thoughts I didn't see the fainted applicant before it was too late. Tripping over him, I didn't have the reaction time to try and save myself. I braced myself for impact, knowing the ground was gonna hurt.

" _If I fall, will I really be willing to get back up? I'm too tired."_

A hand grabbed hold of my own and steadied me, ushering me along. Looking up, I see that Kurapika had slowed down to match my pace and was holding my hand until I gathered my bearings.

"Are you alright? You really should be careful."

Blinking, I quickly steadied myself and ripped my hand away. I couldn't help but look away in embarrassment. [3]

"I'm fine!"

Kurapika didn't seem the least bit offended and simply nodded curtly, looking towards the examiner again.

"If you're sure. Just ask if you need any help."

" _I don't want help! This is the Hunter Exam!"_ I knew I was acting rude but I couldn't help it. I was embarrassed. Kurapika had to actually slow down and grab my hand just to keep me going. Hand holding was NOT what I asked for!

My embarrassed thoughts quickly turned to fearful thoughts when I saw the massive amount of stairs we had to now climb.

" _I'm not gonna make it!"_

* * *

By the eight kilometre mark, I was panting heavily and sweating. I made it my goal to be at least at the same pace as Kurapika, but I was finding it really difficult. At least he was starting to pant now, meaning I wasn't the only tired one here. Hearing loud, nasally pants, I saw Leorio race to join us with his shirt and jacket tied around his waist, leaving him topless with only his badge and tie.

" _I'm not the only one suffering. He probably has it worse than me!"_

"Leorio, are you okay?"

"Sure! Just look at me. I realised that I can keep going if I don't worry about how stupid I look!"

Leorio picked up the pace, racing ahead of the two of us. I saw Kurapika smile before taking off his orange and blue tabard and stuffing it into his bag, leaving him in his white training suit as he picked up his speed. I fell behind the two and gave up trying to race after them, feeling too tired to go faster but too determined to slow down or stop.

"Leorio… I have a question."

"What? Is this too easy for you, Kurapika? Talking just wastes energy!"

He did raise a point. Kurapika only just started showing signs of fatigue and was talking as if he'd only run five kilometres. Was asking the obviously tired Leorio a question really necessary?

"Are you really trying to become a hunter for the money?"

" _That was Leorio's reason? The money? That's pretty conceited…"_

"You aren't, right? We've only been together for a few days, but I know you better than that."

Leorio didn't seem to be taking Kurapika's words lightly.

"Sure, you have a nasty attitude, and you aren't very bright. But you're not a shallow person. I've seen many who live for money. You're nothing like them."

" _That is true. Leorio-san doesn't seem like that kind of person. But saying it like that seems to only be making him mad Kurapika-san…"_

"You and your logic…"

Leorio didn't seem too thrilled by Kurapika's accusation and was obviously irritated at this point. He looked straight ahead and refused to give Kurapika any other answer. Kurapika looked down at the ground, considering what he was going to say next carefully.

"Scarlet eyes."

That caught both mine and Leorio's attention.

"That's why the Kurta were targeted. We Kurta are known for our unique scarlet eyes. When our emotions are heightened, our eyes turn scarlet, as if on fire. The eyes in that scarlet state are considered one of the seven most beautiful colours in the world. They command high prices on the black market."

"That's why the Phantom Troupe attacked you?"

It made sense. The traditional clothing, the reserved and polite nature… Kurapika was a Kurta.

" _I heard about them when I was younger. Their entire clan was killed and their eyes were stolen. How did Kurapika escape that?"_

Both males turned to look at me, as if remembering that I was right there. I put a finger to my lips, indicating that I wouldn't tell and that they could continue their conversation.

" _If you want me to keep secrets, I will. I have secrets I'm keeping from you too, y'know."_ I reasoned with them, even though they couldn't hear.

They both instantly continued talking, Kurapika's eyes shining with gratefulness because of my cooperation.

"They took every single eye from my brethren's corpses. I can still hear their darkened eyes crying out in anguish… I swear I will capture the Phantom Troupe! And I will reclaim the eyes of my clan!"

"That's why you want to be a Hunter?"

"Yeah, if I become a Hunter with rich clients, I'll gain access to black market information."

"But you'll have to swallow your pride and become the kind of Hunter you despise!"

Leorio seemed to be understanding and so was I. It was a noble cause. But Leorio did bring up a point though. By becoming a Blacklist Hunter, which Kurapika was obviously aiming for, he'd be stepping right into the same field of work as the ones that attacked his clan. Who knows what he'd be forced to do, just to get closer to his goals.

"The blow to my pride is nothing, measured against the suffering my clan endured."

My respect for the trio grew exponentially upon hearing Kurapika's goals.

" _Maybe these guys aren't as bad as I think they are. Not all men are heartless, evil-"_ [4]

I could hear footsteps quickly approaching our location, snapping me out of my quickly growing dark thoughts. Glancing back, I spotted Gon and Killua having what looked like a race. I turned my attention back to the males in front of me when Leorio started talking again.

"Sorry, but I have no noble cause."

"Huh?"

"I'm just after the money."

" _He's lying. I can tell by the aura he's giving off."_

"Don't lie!"

"I'm not lying!"

"You really believe you can buy everything with money?"

"You bet! For the right price, you can buy not only treasures, but dreams, hearts, and even people's lives!"

Kurapika seemed really irritated. He knew just as well as I did that Leorio had a different reason for becoming a Hunter.

"Take that back, Leorio! If you're insulting the Kurta, I won't forgive you."

"Why? I'm telling the truth."

" _Don't go there, Leorio."_

"If I'd had money, my friend wouldn't have died!"

A moment of silence passed as we took in this information.

" _So he does have a good reason…"_

"An illness?" was the first thing out of Kurapika's mouth. It was the most logical explanation.

"It was a treatable disease… The problem was that the operation costs a fortune. I was naïve! I thought I could become a doctor… I wanted to cure kids who have the same disease, and be able to tell them it was free of charge! Then I could have told his parents, too. That was my dream… What a joke. Turns out to become a doctor, you need even more money! Got it?"

Kurapika and I had listened silently, understanding everything he was saying. Leorio was right when he said he only wanted the money, but he was wrong when he said he had no noble cause.

"The world runs on money… So I want money!"

Kurapika smiled warmly, not saying a word. He understood. I understood.

" _I honestly wasn't expecting that kind of backstory from Leorio of all people…"_

Gon and Killua finally made it up to where we were.

"See you at the goal, Kurapika, Chu-san."

"Catch ya later, old timer."

"I'm not old! I'm a teenager, just like you guys!

I tripped over, and Kurapika was too stunned to catch me this time.

 _"I definitely didn't expect that one…"_

* * *

After being helped up by Kurapika again, which severely irritated me by the way, the three of us ran towards the exit together. Gon and Killua had already run off, determined to race to the end.

I continued to mentally grumble about Leorio's true age, which turned out to be 19-ish. The red mark that had formed on my face from faceplanting was gone but I still felt the pain. Kurapika and Leorio had asked me a lot of questions revolving around whether I had a concussion or whether I had broken my nose. Despite hurting my face on stone stairs, I was completely fine. There was no reason for them to worry. It took awhile but I managed to convince them of that. They stopped bothering me a few minutes ago and now we were just running in a comfortable silence.

The silence was only broken when shouts of "The exit!" and "We can leave!" filled the room. Did that mean that we were nearly done running?

"C'mon you two! We're nearly through!" Leorio shouted, running faster with an excited smile. Kurapika let out a faint chuckle and picked up the pace, looking back at me with a warm smile.

"Are you alright? We're nearly there."

I must've looked like a mess, drenched with sweat and panting loudly. I forced myself to run at his pace and responded with a quick "I'm fine!"

He turned back towards the exit, light illuminating his face for the first time in ages. I refused to smile in relief and tried to make my panting quieter, not wanting my weakness to show. I didn't want him to look down on me.

Leorio practically met the ground as if it were his bed, unable to even stand, when we reached the exit. Kurapika reached Leorio's side just before me. I collapsed next to them both, completely spent.

" _I swear to god if we don't get a break right now…"_

"Hey, Kurapika."

Gon and Killua were sitting next to where we had popped up. Both seemed to be relaxing.

" _If they get a break and I don't…"_

Kurapika threw a lazy wave in their direction and scanned the area, "Is this our destination?"

"No, it isn't."

"I see."

" _We better at least get a break though, right Gon-san…?"_

"The fog is fading."

"Really?"

As the fog faded I could see a mass expanse of trees and marsh. The swampy smell irritated my nose. Frogs, snakes and other wetland creatures were moving around the area and I secretly prayed that I wouldn't pass any spiders.

" _If we have to run through that murkiness I swear…"_

"The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp." Everyone's attention was refocused on Satotz as he began explaining where we were, "We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the Exam."

" _We're not getting a break are we?"_

"This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who deceive humans and pray on them."

After hearing that, the atmosphere grew a little tense. I was kinda glad we weren't taking a break here, I didn't want to rest in a place like this.

" _Suck it up! You shouldn't be asking for a break right now anyways! This is the Hunter Exam, not a vacation! What did you expect?"_

I really needed to step up my game. If I was getting puffed from just the First Phase, I was never gonna become a hunter.

"Be very careful. If you let them fool you… You're dead."

The tense atmosphere grew even more fearful. Leorio and I quickly straightened ourselves out and got off the ground despite still being tired. A metal shutter door starting going down behind us, blocking off one applicant who only just reached the top.

"Poor guy. Better luck next year."

"These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey. An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit… Hence the name Swindlers Swamp. Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived."

Knowing him, Satotz was gonna prance through the wetlands with incredible speed. Marathon part 2, but this time with the threat of deceit or death if you fell behind. This wasn't exactly my forte…

"What a joke." I heard Leorio scoff from next to me "How can they fool us, when we're expecting it?"

"Don't let them fool you!"

I turned my head quickly. A man had approached from behind the corner with tattered clothes and scratches all over his body. He had obviously taken a beating.

Everyone turned to look as well, with Leorio murmuring something along the lines of "I just said they can't."

Weakly coming out fully from behind the wall, his voice sounded battered and croaky.

"D-Don't fall for it… He's lying to you. He's an imposter!"

Everyone turned to Satotz, whom the man was pointing to. Satotz didn't seem at all fazed by this accusation.

"He isn't an examiner… I'm the real examiner."

Murmurs started spreading through the crowd, everyone considering the possibility. Looking over at the unfazed Satotz back to the battered man, I quickly came to the conclusion that this unprofessional, weak-looking, newcomer couldn't be the examiner. Satotz had been there from the beginning! Plus, the vibe this guy was giving off just reaked of danger.

" _He's lying."_

"An imposter? What's going on?"

" _Don't believe him!"_

"Look at this…" Struggling, the man pulled out a body from behind the wall. It's face and body structure looked exactly like Satotz but had sharp fangs, long tongue, claws and orange-brown fur growing all over. It looked battered and broken and its eyes were rolled to the back of its head. I wasn't fooled though. Though its breathing was shallow, it was obvious that the being was not only alive but awake. It had the same vibe coming off of it as the man.

" _Calm down. It's one of those deceitful monsters. They've gotta be shapeshifters or something similar! We can't just start believing every battered up person we meet!"_

My eyes narrowed suspiciously at the new duo. I didn't trust people easily, but those two definitely reeked of lies. Even Tonpa didn't seem as bad!

"It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands!"

"A Man-Faced Ape?" Leorio seemed to be taking this just as I was. I'd never heard of those creatures. Was it a lie?

"Man-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them. He intends to trap every single applicant!"

Satotz still seemed unfazed. Though the alibi the man was giving seemed legit, his aura alone was enough to make me distrust him.

"Bastard…"

"He certainly doesn't walk like a human…"

"Stick with the people you've been around longest. Don't believe him."

I heard a whizzing sound and a blast of air pass in front of my face as a bunch of playing cards rammed straight into the new guy. Another bunch of cards were aimed at Satotz only to be caught instantly by said man. The new guy fell to the ground, dead, the 'dead' Man-Faced Ape falling to the ground next to him. Satotz once again reacted in no way towards the attempt on his life. Turning to the sound of a deck being shuffled, I spied Hisoka shuffling a deck of the same cards that just killed a man. He was definitely responsible for what just happened.

"I see, I see… That settles it. You're the real one."

He had done that just to find out who was the liar? Then again, examiners were hunters. Any hunter with even the slightest amount of skill could've blocked that attack. Since the man didn't block, he was the liar. It made sense.

Satotz reacted in no way other than flicking the cards away. He didn't seem bothered at all by what had just happened. Then again, when did he ever show emotions?

Everyone looked up in disbelief, obviously believing the other man over Satotz. The 'dead' Ape sprang up to life and fled while making yelping noises. It had been caught.

"Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack."

Everyone seemed to have caught up on the situation. It only made sense.

"I shall take that as a compliment." Satotz spoke for the first time since we got here "However, should you attack me again, for whatever reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?"

Hisoka didn't seem fazed at all and only continued to smirk as everyone gathered their bearings.

"Sure."

Squawking sounded as vultures rained down and started devouring the imposter's dead body.

"Nature really can be brutal to watch…" Leorio muttered as we all watched the scene unfold. I was the first to turn away, feeling a bit shaken from everything that just occurred.

"Anything can be brutal, depending on your opinion."

No one responded to me.

Kurapika continued to watch the scene unfold, putting the pieces together, "So he was a Man-Faced Ape, as well."

"He was attempting to confuse the applicants, to lure some of them away." Satotz stated as he started to walk towards the corpse.

"We cannot relax our guard."

"Yeah."

Even the younger boys had gotten serious. This was the true nature of the Exam and we were all just realising it.

"You will encounter such deception on a regular basis. I believe that a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity?"

A few people let out nervous noises, obviously caught. Leorio was one of them.

"So you understand? If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's Second Phase. Do bear that in mind."

Silence reigned over. He was testing us without even trying.

"Then let us be on our way. Please follow me."

Everyone was instantly running as Satotz took off, striding along with incredible speed. Out of the around 370 remain applicants, the first one to complain was Leorio.

"Tch, another marathon."

"And we're running through marsh this time. Running on wet ground requires more energy."

Kurapika's words made me focus on how sore my legs were after the last round.

" _Just as I had forgotten too…"_

"Oi, are you still wearing that thing? Take it off already." Leorio words were directed at me as I ran in between him and Kurapika. My coat wasn't the best thing for marsh, but I refused to take it off.

"I refuse."

"Huuuuh!?"

"Pay attention now." Satotz words rang out through the crowd "Be sure to stay close behind me."

The atmosphere was definitely getting murker the further we went. I was finder it hard to move the deeper we went.

"The fog is getting thicker."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Kurapika-san." I responded as we continued to run, the smell irritated me. Kurapika once again took no offense to my words, either that or he was just ignoring me, as I struggled to keep my face blank.

"Leorio! Kurapika! Chu! Killua says that we should move up!" Gon's voice rang out through the fog from up slightly ahead.

"' _Chu'? When did I get on no honorifics basis with him? Also, I wasn't intending for EVERYONE learning my name!"_ I thought as I ran slightly faster to catch up but to no avail _"Oh well, I guess it's his nature. He must already consider me as a friend."_

"Moron! If I had the strength, I'd already be there!" Leorio yelled back, looking irritated as he tried to run faster like me.

"Don't worry about us!" Kurapika joined in the yelling. I decided to add my input.

"Run faster and focus on yourself!"

" _It's hard to keep my voice boyish when yelling. Hopefully no one suspects me yet."_

* * *

My mood kept going south as the fog got thicker. I was starting to squint just to see ahead. I was starting to feel less people running near us. Was everyone going a separate way? I glanced around, making sure I wasn't alone. Kurapika and Leorio were still there and I could see faint shadows ahead and behind of us.

"We can't even tell which way we're going." I heard Kurapika complain. Leorio was quick to jump in.

"It's okay. As long as we don't lose sight of the guys ahead of us…"

All of a sudden, the people in front started dropping. Did one of those guys just lose a head!?

All three of us stopped, sensing that something was very wrong.

"What's going on!?" Leorio started to panic.

"You just had to jinx us, Leorio-san."

"I didn't mean to!"

Suddenly large strawberries starteddading in from the fog. Everone behind us was just as confused as us.

"Strawberries?"

"Wh-What?"

A man came up from behind Kurapika hesitantly only to get sucked up with a yell. I instantly tensed, preparing myself to bolt if needed. A creature emerged from the fog, the strawberries attached to its back. The man was in the creature's mouth. I didn't recognise it, but it resembled a kind of tortoise. Everyone panicked and started to run in the opposite direction as the tortoise bit into more applicants. Kurapika, Leorio and I stood frozen in the midst of the chaos.

"This looks bad…"

More of the creatures started popping up, circling us within the fog. I backed up slightly, brushing Leorio's arm. Kurapika had certainly made an understatement. It seemed as if the whole group had been split up.

"Maybe we should have gone with Gon-san and Killua-san!"

* * *

Gon and Killua squirmed around, having been swallowed by a giant frog when suddenly…

"Achoo!"

"Gon, you okay?"

"I think people are talking about me…"

"Huh…?"

* * *

The tortoise monster grabbed hold of a bit of log and lifted it up, Leorio happened to be holding onto that bit however.

"Leorio!"

The tortoise swung the log around, Leorio holding on desperately while yelling. Kurapika jumped forward, unsheathing his bokken [5] and aiming for the tortoise's eye. Deciding not to wait around, I jumped up as well and kicked the tortoise in the jaw right as Kurapika stabbed its eye. The tortoise roared and immediately dropped Leorio, Kurapika and I jumping away as so.

Once landed, Kurapika spun to face us while wielding his bokken "Leorio, Chu-san, here's our opportunity."

"No need to tell us twice."

"Y-Yeah."

We instantly chased after Kurapika, escaping while we could. We weren't sticking around.

* * *

Running into a thick forest, we waited until it was safe before talking again.

"We've lost sight of the front-runners." Kurapika was the first to break the silence.

"Which way should we go?" Leorio asked, looking at us for our opinion.

I shrugged, scanning the area. It was hard to see but I spotted a person in the fog. Pointing in that direction, I said "There's people over there. Should we go?"

I got no response. The three of us silently went in that direction, only for Leorio to put his hand out in a 'wait' motion.

"Stop. Over there…" I followed where he was pointing and paled.

The person I had spotted was Hisoka. Surrounded by a circle of applicants.

"When I saw you last year, I knew you weren't Hunter material."

"We'll spare you if you swear not to take the Hunter Exam again."

"Idiots…" I mumbled quietly, watching the exchange warily. Did these guys NOT feel the dangerous aura oozing off of Hisoka? Were they insane?

"Sure."

"Huh?"

Even I was confused by that. He backed down.

"I'm passing the exam this year, so I won't need to retake it."

"Passing? Idiot! Look at this fog. It's impossible to determine which way the main pack went!"

"Meaning we've all failed the exam!" These guys were definitely nuts.

Hisoka only chuckled, responding with a "So that's why. Having already failed, you wish to play examiner. Hunters require prey. Why don't I play examiner…"

No one could say a word. I only watched with a pale face as Hisoka kept smirking. The vibes coming off of him were enough to creep me out.

"… and judge whether you are Hunter material?"

He pulled up a playing card and I instantly knew where this was going. The other men braced and lunged forward to attack. Stopping his smirk, in one fluid motion he lifted his card and made a circle. Upon flicking his card, the men all dropped to the ground.

" _I didn't even see him land a hit! He just killed them all with a playing card!"_

One man remained and he looked as if he were about to pee himself.

"Now, then…" Hisoka turned towards the man. I could practically feel his fear from all the way over here. The man fell to the ground and started to crawl.

"H-H-Help! He-!"

I flinched as two cards hit him in the back of the head. Falling to the ground, I knew he was a goner.

" _Killed by a playing card. What a way to go…"_

Kurapika, Leorio and I only looked on in shock. We had just witnessed a group of full-grown men with weapons get taken down by playing card wielded by a creepy clown. In two hits. It was quite the spectacle.

Pulling the cards out of the man's head, I began to fear as his gaze shifted over to us. Kurapika and Leorio shared my tenseness as Hisoka turned to us.

"Well? Care to participate, in my little game of examiner?"

" _I'm never playing with a deck of cards ever again!"_

All of us were tense as Hisoka slowly approached us. The first one to speak was Kurapika, his voice low and tense.

"Leorio, Chu-san. On my signal, we run in opposite directions."

"What?"

"Good idea."

"Whaaat?"

Leorio seemed a bit confused. I agreed instantly. He could only chase one of us at a time. I only hoped it wasn't me he chased.

"He is vastly more experienced in real combat." was Kurapika's reply "The three of us won't stand a chance against him. We cannot afford to squander time in a pointless fight!"

Leorio seemed apprehensive about the whole thing. Kurapika was right and I definitely was going to listen to him. Tensing up, I prepared to sprint. Raising a card, wind started to blow and a crows's screech sounded.

"Now!"

The three of us jumping in different directions, all of us racing away from that area.

" _Don't look back! Don't think! Just run! You can't win in that situation!"_ I scolded as I pushed myself to run as fast as I could.

" _You can't win!"_

* * *

"Satotz-san!" I gasped, spotting the purple man. Around 140 applicants surrounding him. Honestly, I was just running aimlessly, following my instincts. In actuality, I had been following the distinct vibe flowing off of Satotz. I hadn't realised it, but I had been tracking him. Coming to a stop within the group of applicants, I leaned against the tree and panted. I was seriously tired.

" _How did I do that?"_ I asked myself as I weakly sat down to catch my breath _"I've always been good at judging people, but how did I track Satotz from out of nowhere like a dog!? It wasn't his smell or anything either, it was his aura!"_

I could always tell people apart from the vibes flowing off of them, but tracking someone by that method should've been impossible! Even with someone with good instincts! [6]

"Oi, you're Chu right?"

Looking to the side, I spotted Killua walking up to me with his hands in his pockets and his skateboard tucked under his arm.

"Have you seen Gon?"

"I thought Gon-san was with you?" I responded with a question, pushing myself off the tree tiredly and looking at him seriously. Worry started to fill me, had they been separated?

"And I thought you were with the other two. So you're not with any of them?" he asked again, tilting his head to the side.

"No. Are you looking for them?"

"More or less."

"I'll look with you then."

He shrugged and walked off, muttering something along the lines of "Suit yourself". I followed him eagerly, scanning the area as we walked.

" _Where are you guys?"_

* * *

Omake:

"I'll look with you then."

He shrugged and walked off, muttering something along the lines of "Suit yourself". I followed him eagerly, scanning the area as we walked.

"I warn you, you might not like what you see."

"Hmm? What do you mean, Killua-san?"

He pointed off in a direction and I followed. I instantly blanched.

Kurapika was in a sparkly pink tuxedo, doing a flamenco dance with a rose in his mouth. Leorio was dancing like a ballerina with literally nothing on but a tiara. Gon was howling at the sky wearing a rainbow jumpsuit and dog ears.

Kurapika took the rose out of mouth and finished the dance off by winking at me and shouting "Olee~!"

I sighed and turned to Killua, about to ask him if I was dreaming, only to find him in a neko outfit while singing and dancing to Nyan Cat.

" _These omakes keep getting weirder and weirder."_

* * *

[1] – They assume Chu is a boy from her appearance. This won't last forever though so don't worry.

[2] – My honest thoughts when I first saw Killua.

[3] – Someone's a tsundere~ Huehuehue~

[4] – Chu has trust issues towards men that will be explained later as well.

[5] – I'm referring to his wooden sword thingies he uses during the first few arcs. He wields two wakizashi-sized bokken with the handles wrapped in bandages and linked together by a thread like nun chucks. Funnily enough, it's revealed that his bokken are actually sheathed swords. It's only in the 1999 anime but it's an entertaining thought.

[6] – This will be explained later as well and is related to subplots.

* * *

Me: Over 6000 words… Woah… That's the most I've written in awhile… and imagine how long the chapters will be when I get up to things like the Yorknew Arc and so on! Holy hell! This is the most fun I've had in ages! I should've written one of the sooner!

Kurapika: Why didn't you?

Me: *wishy-washy hand motion* Reasons!

Kurapika: That's not a proper rea-

Me: Until next time!


	3. No X More X Cooking

Me: I hope I'm still doing a good job with this. Are people OOC? Like Kurapika and Killua? Am I doing it right? PLEASE GIVE ME ENCOURAGEMENT PEOPLE!

Kurapika: Your writing is fine, don't worry.

Me: How do YOU know that!?

Kurapika: *le sigh*

To MidoriEmerald13:

Me: Chu has always been good at judging people. Though she's overly cautious and suspicious when meeting new people, as you've seen, she can tell whether she can trust them enough to at least be around them. Over time, her ability to judge people has grown into something more~ *winkwinknudgenudge* She just doesn't realise it!

Kurapika: *in the corner of the room, gloomy* Why did I drink that 'water' Leorio gave me?

Gon: You aren't the only one who did weird things during the omake, Kurapika. Don't feel too bad! :D

Me: Drunk Kurapika makes for good omakes XD (New headcannon – Sleepy/Sleep-deprived/Drunk Kurapika is very open and… non-Kurapika basically!)

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter and its 2011 adaptation belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my OCs, sub-plots and anything not included in the original series. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 3: No X More X Cooking

Previously:

"I'll look with you then."

He shrugged and walked off, muttering something along the lines of "Suit yourself". I followed him eagerly, scanning the area as we walked.

" _Where are you guys?"_

* * *

Killua and I were walking through the crowd silently, searching for Gon and the others. Killua looked bored, muttering things along the lines of "Idiots…" and "This test is so easy…" as we walked.

" _Speak for yourself"_ I thought as we kept walking _"This isn't exactly a cakewalk!"_

"Leorio!"

Gon's voice was faint but there, ringing out through the crowd. Killua looked at me with a pointed look before walking in a direction. I followed him quietly, not about to argue.

" _I wonder if I could track Gon-san and the others like I did for Satotz-san?"_ I asked myself as I kept walking but quickly dismissed the thought _"I don't even know how I did that, what makes me think I can do that again?"_

"There." Killua's voice sounded from next to me as he pointed in a direction. Following his gaze, I spotted a beaten up Leorio leaning against Leorio was Kurapika and Gon standing next to him. What had happened after we separated? Leorio's cheek looked so swollen it wasn't funny!

As we wandered over, Killua smiled and called out Gon's name. The three of them turned towards us, seemingly relieved.

"Killua! Chu!"

"I can't believe you actually got here… I thought you were done for." Killua responded to Gon's cry as we reached them, sounding a bit cocky.

"Did you run into any problems on your way here?" Kurapika asked me politely as Gon and Killua conversed. He was probably referring to Hisoka and any other applicants I might've run into.

"None. You?"

"Not at all."

I glanced over at Leorio and raised an eyebrow but Kurapika shook his head and put a finger to his lips before I could ask what happened. It was obviously something we weren't meant to discuss.

"Excellent work, everyone."

The five of us turned towards Satotz as he started talking to the crowd.

"Phase Two of the exam will occur here, in the Biska Forest Park. So, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you."

Satotz strode away, leaving all of the contestants to wonder when the next phase would start. During his speech, Kurapika had put his tabard back on and Leorio had stood up and put his shirt on.

The large doors separating us from the exam's Second Phase started to slowly open. Everyone turned towards the door and prepared themselves for what might lie beyond.

Inside were a bunch of work stations, which I quickly discovered resembled mini kitchens, and a large white building. In front of the building was a big couch and sitting on said couch was a woman and behind her was a really big man. The woman smiled and called out "Will all applicants who passed the First Phase enter?"

Slowly, everyone piled into the area and came to a stop in front of the two people. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the woman had bright aqua hair in bunches and green eyes and was wearing a scanty outfit. The man wore a simple outfit and had a big grin on his face.

"Welcome. I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner."

"And I'm Buhara, the other examiner."

Everyone was taking in the two examiners in front of us. They looked like hunters but didn't look as professional as Satotz. I wondered briefly what kind of hunter they were.

A loud growling sound echoed throughout the area, causing everyone to tense up. Was there a monster nearby?

Menchi didn't look at all fazed and simply looked up at Buhara with that same smile.

"You must be hungry."

"I'm starvng…"

" _Wait, that sound came from his stomach!?"_ I thought, feeling a bit concerned _"That isn't normal…"_ [1]

Standing up, Menchi faced us and declared with a confident voice, "There you have it. Phase Two will involve…"

" _Please don't tell me…"_

"…cooking!"

"… _Cooking… This exam is picking all of my worst attributes and forcing me to face them isn't it? I'm not exactly the best cook…"_ [2]

I quickly came to the conclusion that these two were Gourmet Hunters. I couldn't think of any other type of Hunter that deals with food. If Gourmets were testing us, I was sure to fail this Phase.

Everyone seemed confused. I didn't really blame them. This was the Hunter Exam, not a cooking contest. The Phase did sound a bit off but I knew there had to be some trickiness to it. It wasn't going to be as simple as cooking.

"C-Cooking?"

"Wait! Cooking? We're here to take the Hunter Exam!"

"That's quite right. Your challenge for the Second Phase is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate." Menchi seemed quite calm, as if this was normal. People have probably complained about this before, during her field of work.

"Why do we have to cook?!"

"That's because we are Gourmet Hunters."

" _I knew it."_

Menchi and Buhara seemed quite proud of their status. The rest of the applicants just started laughing.

"Man, what a letdown."

"They're Gourmet Hunters…"

Our group didn't laugh and just watched as Menchi's smile quickly faded. This was going badly.

"So, Gourmet Hunters, what are we supposed to make?" the applicant from before, #255, asked mockingly. It was obvious Menchi wasn't taking this lightly.

"Buhara."

The man heaved himself onto his feet with a loud thump and faced the crowd with a big smile.

"The required ingredient is pork."

" _That's making it worse for me! You have to get meat like pork and chicken perfect! Couldn't it have been sweets or something less tasking!?"_

"Pork? As in pig meat?"

I felt like slapping the person. Was it really not that obvious that pork was pig meat?

"You're free to use meat from any species of Biska Forest pigs. You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork. And you only pass if we both find it delicious."

"And we will evaluate more than just taste. Don't underestimate the intricacies of cooking. Got it? When we've both eaten our fill, the exam will end."

" _I'm so screwed."_

"We get it. We get it." #255 waved his hand dismissively, clearly not taking this seriously, "Let's just start."

Menchi was obviously displeased. I could tell she was one second away from attacking the guy.

" _Don't go irritating the examiner! You'll make the exam harder than it already is!"_ I chastised the guy mentally, forcing my face to stay blank. I didn't want anyone to know I was irritated nor did I want people to look at me if I started voicing my thoughts.

"Then, the exam's Second Phase begins now!" Buhara called as he slapped his belly like a gong.

Everyone immediately ran in search of the Biska Forest pigs. We only had until they were full to find, kill and prepare the pigs. If I wasn't done by the time they were finished, I would be eliminated. Not only that but I needed to make it edible, which wasn't something I would be able to do easily. I needed to find those pigs now.

* * *

"Catch a pig and cook it. This is way easier than the First Phase."

I held back from chastising Leorio, he really shouldn't underestimate the exam. Kurapika seemed to be thinking similarly to me as he responded with "I hope it will be that simple…"

Gon seemed to spot something. The next thing I know, he's running off to a slope and sliding down it. Killua smiled and joined him, enjoying himself. Glancing at Leorio and Kurapika, who were glancing at me, I shrugged and raced after them, holding onto my hood as I slid down that same slope… only to realise that Gon had stopped himself part way.

Paling slightly, I dug my heels into the ground to try and stop myself from slamming into Killua, whom had just slammed into Gon. It didn't help much. As soon as I stopped, just before Killua, Leorio slammed into me and sent me tumbling forward into Killua. Kurapika joined us right after, forcing me even closer to the albino boy.

Killua was instantly yelling at Gon, getting irritated.

"What was that about, Gon?!"

Not looking at us, Gon continued to stare off to the side.

"Found them."

"Huh?"

"Pigs!"

The four of us turned to where Gon was looking and paled. The pigs were humongous and were snacking on bones.

"Uh… They're chewing on bones."

"Don't tell me… They're carnivores?"

I gulped as one of the pigs looked at us and instantly let out a loud roar. All of the pigs instantly turned on us, getting ready to attack.

"Time to repeat the First Phase guys!" I shouted, jumping up and nearly tripping over Leorio and Kurapika in my haste to run. The four boys joined me as we ran from the enraged, and probably hungry, pigs.

The other applicants soon saw us and joined us in running away. Going against huge, meat-eating pigs was not on anyone's agenda. A few got mowed down but most managed to run.

"These pigs are crazy!"

"Keep running Leorio-san! Talking wastes energy!"

"Oi, don't quote me!"

* * *

Everyone had quickly split off to capture a pig. Thanks to the efforts of Gon, his fishing rod and a bunch of apples, it became apparent that their foreheads were their weak points. The thing was… my pig wasn't letting me anywhere near its forehead.

" _This is taking too long. Everyone's heading inside!"_ I complained, dodging another ram from the pig. The creature had thrown me around, rammed into me, but never let me get close to its head. Jumping above it resulted in it running out of the way and making me hit the ground instead. The other boys had offered to help me but I had refused. This was my pig, my chance at passing the Phase, my job! I didn't want anyone's help, not even my newfound acquaintances'.

"This is ridiculous!" I growled, charging towards the pig and jumping. The pig didn't dodge this time but instead opened its mouth. I couldn't dodge with my momentum and ended up jumping ito the pig's mouth.

" _It did that on purpose…"_ I was beyond irritated, my anger showing for once, as I clawed the pig's chin. I was not letting myself get swallowed fully.

"You need help there?" I heard Killua call nonchalantly as he carried his pig with ease.

"I'm good!" I called back, ignoring the concerned glances from the rest of the boys.

"You sure!?" Gon abandoned his pig and started walking towards me. I wasn't having any of that.

"Just leave me alone!" I shouted at him, kicking around as I slowly lost my grip and was slowly getting engulfed.

" _I knew I would have trouble with the pork, but I didn't mean like this!"_

Losing my grip completely, I was completely eaten up by the pig. Deciding to use a last resort to stay alive, I gripped onto the pig's tongue and tugged with all my might, hoping to either stay where I was or to be spat back out. The pig squealed and flailed its tongue around, starting to stampede with its mouth open. It was trying to shake me off of its tongue.

The boys had dropped their pigs and had headed towards my position to get me out of there. They quickly turned and started running as I chased them with my pig.

"What are you doing, idiot!?" Killua shouted as they ran.

"I'm not doing anything!" I retorted, tugging the tongue in a different direction. The pig continued to roar and turned in that direction, stampeding elsewhere.

" _I'm controlling this thing!?"_ I thought as I forced it into another turn, applicants staring at me as I panicked.

"That's it! This way and… INTO THE WALL!" I shouted, slamming the pig into the walls surrounding the cooking area, making sure its forehead was the prime target. Just as planned, the pig slumped to the ground, defeated. Crawling out of the mouth, I stood up and attempted to wipe of the sticky pig saliva to no avail. Looking up, I spotted everyone staring at me, some carrying their pigs, some having dropped theirs in shock.

"That was amazing, Chu!" Gon was the first to break the tense silence, running over with his pig. He was smiling widely.

"It… was?" was all I could make out. I was shocked with myself. I had just killed a pig by tugging on its tongue!

"Yeah!" he responded, laughing and smiling innocently, "Do you need any help carrying it in?"

I couldn't help but let relief wash over my face. I wasn't quite smiling, but it was definitely different from my regular blank face. I picked my pig and simply shook my head politely at Gon.

"No thank you. I can handle it myself. You just carry yours."

Gon nodded and started walking with me as we carrying our pigs towards the other three boys, "Just ask us if you need anything!"

"I'm sure I won't need to ask for help, Gon-san."

* * *

" _I need to ask for help."_ I thought, pale and shaking. Cooking was definitely not my forte, neither was running. I didn't know whether the pork was done or not. It was a really dark brown but when I had last checked the inside, which was a few minutes ago, it was still pink inside. Was only the outside getting cooked?

I had turned up the heat in order to get the inside. Even if the outside was darker than needed, it wasn't charred or anything. And as long as the inside taste good, that's all that mattered right? I could easily add tomatoes and other additional ingredients to make it look appeasing after the inside was done.

Easier said than done.

Ten minutes after turning the flames up, I turned to start cutting up vegetables and other things for the decorations. Smelling smoke, I turned to double-check my pork only to find that it was starting to burn. I immediately reached for the temperature to turn it down, only to accidentally turn it up too much. My pig caught on fire and I panicked, turning the entire thing off and grabbing a towel to put out the fire. Other contestants had burnt theirs, but not to this extent. People were starting to look.

" _Out of all the contestants, I'm the only one that set their pig on fire…"_ I thought sadly, struggling but managing to put the fire out. Waving my towel to frantically clear the smoke while coughing lightly, I was horrified to see what was left of my pig.

It had retained its pig shape but was gradually crumbling in on itself, burnt to the crisp and DEFINITELY not edible.

"Are you okay? You weren't burnt, were you?" I heard Kurapika's voice come from my left.

I turned to see Kurapika, Gon and Leorio walking over, looking a bit concerned.

"I'm fine. I can't say the same about my chances of passing." I replied, turning to my failure and sighing.

"You could always go and catch another pig?" Gon offered, but it was obvious it was a long shot. Glancing over at the irritated Menchi, I shook my head hopelessly.

"By the time I kill another pig and attempt to cook it, the exam would already be over. Menchi-sa looks like she's at her limits." I stated before turning to the three fully, examining them, "Shouldn't you three be focusing on your own dishes?"

Their faces fell, Leorio speaking up.

"We've already been evaluated…"

"And…?"

"All three of us failed."

I sighed and turned towards the burnt pig once again, "There's just no chance is there?"

"You still have a chance, I'm sure of it!" Gon tried to cheer me up, "You haven't gone up to Menchi-san yet, you don't know for sure-!"

"She'll turn this away just from the sight of it."

"Not if we make it look appealing!" he cheered. Grabbing some pink flowers from his dish and the ingredients I had prepared earlier, he started decorating the poor excuse of a pig, plating it up. Turning to us with a smile, he gestured to my pig and nodded, "See? You have a chance!"

"No offense, Gon, Chu…" Leorio poked one of the flowers with a disgusted face, "…these don't help at all."

I sighed and Gon's face fell. He quickly gained a determined face and grabbed a knife and fork.

"We can't give up! We haven't seen how it tastes yet!"

"Gon…" Kurapika spoke with a warning voice, obviously against trying it, as Gon offered him cutlery. He glanced at me and I must've looked pathetic, with a defeated look and a smoke-covered face, because he sighed and accepted the cutlery, "It can't be that bad…"

Leorio grumbled about food poisoning while accepting his cutlery.

"You guys don't have to…" I muttered as they cut off small bits of the pork and tried it with bits of pineapple, tomato and other bits of decorations (excluding Gon's flowers obviously). I honestly didn't mind if they ate it, it wasn't like I was going to offer it to the examiners, but I was worried about food poisoning and other issues that might occur because of my food.

They ignored me and ate small bits. I saw their eyes lit up but before I could ask for their opinion, I heard the examiners.

"That was so much food, I'm stuffed!"

"Yeah, I'm stuffed, too." Menchi looked really angry by this point. Standing up, she faced the crowd with an angry look, "Therefore, no one passes. We're finished here!"

"It's over?"

"What the hell?"

The boys finished their bites and looked at me sympathetically as I grit my teeth.

"It's okay."

"There's always next year, Chu-san."

"Don't be brought down!"

" _I failed the exam because I couldn't cook!? That's a lousy reason! I understand that they're Gourmets, but I expected to lose because of a fight or something typically that Hunters do! Just because I lack the skill to make pork is not a real reason to fail everyone let alone myself!"_

"Zero people passed?"

"Are you serious?"

"Does she really mean it?"

"The exam is over?"

"This isn't funny!" a crash resounded throughout the area as #255 broken his work bench "I won't accept it… I absolutely refuse to accept this!"

"In the end, you've still failed."

"Stop screwing around! You asked for pork, so we risked our lives to-"

"I said to prepare the pork in a manner we both found delicious… None of you made anything remotely delicious. You all did almost the same thing. There was no effort made…" Everyone was looking down in defeat. #255 was getting more riled up.

"Just when I thought someone actually tried, they only changed the appearance." I saw Kurapika flinch, had that been him?

"No one attempted to emphasize the flavour. I'm positive that none of you took cooking seriously!"

My eye twitched. I was getting just as frustrated as everyone else.

" _I had taken it seriously! I got covered in pig saliva just to catch the damn thing! And I tried my hardest to cook it! I made only one mistake!"_

"Pork dishes are all the same…" I heard #294 mutter to himself. Menchi didn't take that lightly, grabbing the guy by his red scarf thing and holding him up.

"Just say that once more. Any more crap from you, and I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out! Don't mess with me… I don't want any lip from a bunch of amateurs who can't even roast a pig! Hey! What did you just say? Why don't you repeat it to my face?!" she ranted, getting angrier and angrier. I couldn't help but shrink back slightly.

Dropping the poor guy, she sat back down on her seat composed and continued talking to the rest of the applicants.

"In other words, you people don't have the guts to try anything new."

"Shut up!" #255 started up again "I'm not trying to be a cook or a gourmet… I want to be a hunter!"

Everyone started rising up. I could tell Menchi was about to lose it more than she already had.

"My goal is to become a Blacklist Hunter. I refuse to let a mere Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!"

"' _Mere Gourmet Hunter' is taking it too far…"_ I thought. I was mad but even I was against #255's words, _"Gourmet Hunters probably have to go through dangerous situations just like Blacklist ones, they are Hunters for a reason. It really was unfair to test us like that but riling her up like this is only going to make it worse!"_

Menchi was attempting to stay composed, turning away from him slightly a responding with a snarky "Too bad you got stuck with a mere Gourmet Hunter as an examiner… Better luck next year?"

"Why, you… Don't mock me!" #255 lunged at Menchi only to get knocked back by a punch from Buhara. I watched in shock as the guy rammed against one of the towers lining the doors and feel to the ground. I would be surprised if he survived that.

"Buhara, don't interfere."

"Well… If I hadn't intervened, you'd have killed him, right?"

It was true. Menchi had grabbed two sharp kitchen knives and would've probably finished the guy off had he actually gotten closer.

Walking forward and stepping down the stairs, she addressed the crowd with a deadly tone to her voice.

"Let me clarify this… We frequently ventures into the dens of ferocious beasts, searching for ingredients. Every Hunter knows some form of martial art." At this point, Menchi had started juggling her kitchen knives. "You lack focus and willingness to experiment. That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters!" She stopped juggling and held out the knives, ponting at us. She did have a point but it seemed a bit harsh.

"That said, it would be excessive to fail every single applicant." a voice boomed from above. Looking upwards, a blimp was looming over the test area.

"That's the symbol of the Hunters Association!"

"Is it someone from the Selection Committee?"

A barely had time to see the person jump out of the blimp before they landed in front of Menchi, raising a giant dust cloud. Once the cloud raised, I could see an old man in a traditional-looking outfit standing in front of the examiners.

"Wh-Who's that geezer?"

"The Chairman of the Selection Committee." Menchi responded, walking forward. She seemed calmer now. "He's in charge of the Hunter Exam… Chairman Netero."

"Well, I work behind the scenes. I only take action when there's an issue, like now. So, Menchi-kun…"

"Yes, sir."

"You failed all of the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance-" I felt my eye twitch as I saw where his eyes drifted down to. Menchi was wearing a revealing shirt, but he had the choice not to look down. We had a pervert running the Exam. "-to try new things?"

"No, sir… I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary."

"In other words, you're aware that this exam was unacceptable."

"Yes, sir. When cooking is involved, I lose control. I'm unqualified to be an examiner. I will resign as examiner, so please redo the Second Phase!"

"But it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice." Netero reasoned. Menchi bowed slightly out of guiltiness and respect, "I apologise…"

"Very well. How about this? I'd like you to continue serving as an examiner. But you must also participate in the new test you propose. Is that acceptable? I'm certain that will help the applicants to accept their results."

Menchi seemed relieved and even started smiling.

"That's true…Then the new challenge will be boiled eggs!"

I sighed in relief. Though I wasn't a good cook, I was certain I could at least prepare some eggs.

" _How are we going to get the eggs though?"_

"Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-Half in your airship?"

"Mt. Split-in-Half? I see what you're doing. Certainly, I can."

" _Mt. Split-in-Half?"_ I wondered, as the blimp descended and we all moved to board, _"I have a bad feeling about this…"_

* * *

Everyone peered over the edge, staring down the gorge in the mountain.

" _No wonder it's called Mt. Split-in-Half…"_ I gulped, not liking where this was going.

"Now, everyone… Look down there."

"Wh-What is that?"

There was a large spider web constructed from one side of the gorge o the other. A giant spider web must mean a giant spider, right?

" _Don't tell me we're going against spiders…"_ I thought, glancing at Kurapika, _"I fear spiders just like the next person, but Kurapika-san…"_

"A Spider Eagle's web."

"They build webs down there?" Gon asked innocently.

" _I hope we don't cross one of these Spider Eagles…"_

A gust of wind burst up for a couple of seconds. Once the draft died down, Menchi started speaking again.

"Look below the web."

"Those are…" Gon trailed off. Looking below the web, I spotted clusters of white eggs.

"Those are Spider Eagle eggs."

" _And that's what we're boiling?"_

"Spider Eagles build their webs in deep ravines, to protect their eggs from predators. This makes their eggs one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain. The eggs are also known as dream eggs." Netero filled in, walking up behind the crowd.

"W-Wait a minute…" #255 stuttered, glancing over at Netero, "You don't mean we…"

"I sure do." Menchi sounded excited.

"W-What!?"

Menchi abruptly jumped off the side of the cliff, dropping down and grabbing onto a bit of web. The five of us looked down, wondering what she was going to do next.

"Even if she can grab some eggs, how will she climb back up?" Leorio asked, no response was given.

Everyone waited, watching Menchi as she hung on. Then she abruptly dropped. Reaching out, she snatched an egg as she fell. Murmurings rang through the applicants as we all wondered how she was going to not only survive but get back up.

"Hey… She jumped down! Is she trying to kill herself!?" Leorio was panicking. Kurapika continued to gaze down, responding with a calm "No, she's not". It seems he's figured it out.

Glancing from the boys back to the web, I frowned slightly. What Kurapika figured out, I wasn't seeing. That was until I felt the slightest of breeze from down below. Then it clicked.

" _She's going to use the draft!"_

A split second after I felt that faint breeze, the heavy draft from before shot up, sending Menchi and her egg flying up with it. She gazed at us with a confident smile, holding her egg as she hovered over the ravine. Everyone watching was beyond intrigued.

"This ravine has updrafts that help the hatched chicks fly up to the web." Netero explained. Menchi floated away from the draft and jumped onto the ground next to Netero, holding her egg up triumphantly.

"There. Now I just need to boil the egg."

"Y-You must be joking. No reasonable person would jump down there…" #255 was obviously not pleased. It was obvious that we were going to have to copy her in just a moment. Truth be told, I wasn't that enthusiastic either. But the draft bit did seem a bit fun…

"I've been waiting for this!" Gon shouted excitedly. What surprised me was when Gon and the other boys jumped down into the ravine. Everyone else looked just as surprised as me. The surprise quickly turned into adrenaline though.

"Okay! Count me in!" #294 shouted and ran towards the ravine edge. Everone joined him until gradually the cliff edge was nearly empty. I stared down at the web, watching everyone hold onto the web just as Menchi did. I made no move to join in, feeling a bit scared.

" _Getting the egg and flying up isn't the problem… Getting to courage to jump into an abyss is the problem!"_

"Chu! You coming!?" Gon shouted excitedly, the four boys looking up at me expectantly. There was a space on the web in between Kurapika and Killua…

Gulping, I backed away from the edge slightly and took a deep breath, calming myself.

" _C'mon! This is your second chance! Take it or you'll fail! Gon-san and the others are all waiting!"_ I chastised myself, gaining confidence. I heard a yell from below but I ignored it. One man's bad luck didn't mean mine.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and sped towards the edge of the ravine. Jumping off the side, I opened my eyes and reached out for the web with one hand, the other holding my hood down. Now that I was off the side, there was no turning back. Any fear I felt now didn't matter.

Reaching out, the boys watched as my hand aimed for the web… and missed.

My eyes widened as I began to fall past the web, my hand still outstretched. There was no updraft, if I fell now…

Kurapika must've noticed my slip because he took one of his hands off the web and grabbed my outstretched arm instantly. The part of the web he was holding onto dipped down slightly.

"Chu, you alright?" Gon asked as we all hung there.

"Am I dead yet?" I asked, my normally quiet and calm voice holding a bit of fear and cheekiness. I had just scared myself but was attempting to hide it.

"Guess not. Bummer." Killua responded with a cold voice, but I could tell by the faint smirk on his face that he was kidding just like me.

Kurapika's grip on my hand and the web was bruise-inducing. He wasn't daring to let go of either. He sent a faint smile my way, reassuring me. He knew I was afraid. Turning away from his gaze, I focused on the eggs instead. There was a bunch right below where we were, dropping and grabbing them would be easy.

"When's the next one?" Leorio asked. He seemed to be losing his cool. Honestly, I was too. Near death experiences were expected from the Hunter Exam but not wanted.

"Wait."

We all looked to Gon, who seemed to be focusing hard. He was waiting for that faint warning breeze.

The web dipped more, slacking. Everyone seemed to start panicking.

"W-What?" Leorio yelled, looking up frantically.

"The web won't hold us all!" Kurapika stated, we were dipping the most out of everyone.

" _If he wasn't holding on to me, he wouldn't be in as much danger…"_ For the first time in awhile, guilt started to run through me. Normally, I kept my emotions locked, keeping a neutral face. But during this Exam, I had felt emotions I hadn't felt in awhile. Unfortunately, fear and guilt were some of them.

My fear and guilt only increased when our part of the web jerked and dipped violently, causing Kurapika's grip on both me and the web to falter and loosen. I was bound to fall.

"Gon, not yet?" Killua seemed pretty calm as he turned to Gon. The boy didn't respond, keeping his eyes closed and his nose twitching. He was concentrating really hard.

The web loosened more. Everyone was on edge.

" _Maybe if we had listened to Menchi's full explanation, we wouldn't be in this mess."_ I thought, my grip on Kurapika faltering more, _"We shouldn't have dropped all at once."_

"Damn, I can't wait for an updraft!" I heard an applicant yell as some dropped down, grabbing eggs and falling into the abyss.

The web grew thinner, Leorio confirming or fears by shouting "It's gonna snap!"

The part Kurapika was holding looking weaker than the rest and was bound to snap first.

" _It's either me or the both of us…"_ I thought. Kurapika's hold on me was loose as it was.

"I'm sorry…" I muttered. Kurapika looked down at me curiously, only to be stunned as I twisted my hand out of his own and dropped, holding my hood down. I heard him and Leorio yell my name in fear.

Twisting my body, I grabbed an egg with my free hand and fell below. If I was going down, I was at least going to drag down one of the little suckers with me.

I was going to die in style.

Or that was what I thought until I felt the breeze hit my face. Maybe I could hit the draft!

"Now!" I heard Gon's yell faintly. Abruptly, I felt the draft blast against me, shooting me upwards. Holding my hood down tightly, I held the egg against my chest protectively as I shot up and over the abyss. Landing in front of them with my egg Menchi, Netero and Buhara looked at me, all smiling. I had survived.

The other applicants quickly joined me, holding eggs of their own. Landing in front of me, the boys quickly surrounded me smiling.

"We did it Chu!" Gon cheered, holding up his egg triumphantly.

"I am glad you are alright." Kurapika smiled warmly at me, holding his own egg. I could tell by the way he was smiling that he had felt horrible and probably felt it was his fault I had fallen prematurely.

Though I refused to show it, I was genuinely happy that we had done it.

Menchi turned to the applicants that hadn't jumped, a cheeky smile directed towards #255.

"And the rest of you? I guess you quit."

"It takes courage to concede, too."

* * *

"I can see why they're called dream eggs." Kurapika remarked as we all ate our boiled eggs. It was the tastiest egg we'd ever tasted.

"Hey, Todo-san. Would you like a bite?" Gon offered his egg to #255, smiling. The boy was just too pure for this world.

Turning to my own egg, I bit into it again. I was feeling very satisfied that, out of the 40 or so applicants that passed this phase, I was one of them despite the near death experiences.

Speaking of which, I turned to Kurapika and nudged him. Not only was I satisfied, but I was grateful. If Kurapika hadn't of caught me, I would've fallen way too early. Though I still fell prematurely, I still managed to catch the draft. I had to thank the Kurta boy for that.

He turned to look at me with a curious look.

"Thank you, for helping me. In this Phase and the last one. I don't think I would've passed without you." Which was true! He saved me from falling too early in this round and last time he helped me keep running despite being really tired and over everything. Plus the Hisoka incident, I couldn't thank him enough. Though, it did bother me, having to thank someone. It was echnically letting Kurapika in, which I didn't want at this point. But it was the polite thing to do.

Kurapika looked a bit shocked. Turning and looking back at his egg, he responded quickly.

"I still let go of you in the end. And I was only helping you because you needed me to. I don't deserve any thanks."

"Ah, that's what it's about. You're still blaming yourself?" I asked. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow, not understanding me. "I noticed you looking upset earlier. I figured you would've gotten over that."

Reaching up, I pat Kurapika on the head, silently telling him it wasn't his fault. He gently pushed my hand away, but I could tell he understood my message.

"Either way, I purposely let myself go. It was either me or the both of us. You didn't drop me at all, so don't worry too much."

I didn't want any of the boys to get too attached to me. I didn't want anyone to worry.

Kurapika smiled again and continued eating his egg, getting the hint. He seemed less regretful now.

" _He seemed genuinely worried. Does he actually care or is it obligation? Or maybe he's considering me as his friend. I hope that isn't the case."_

* * *

Omake:

"Either way, I purposely let myself go. It was either me or the both of us. You didn't drop me at all, so don't worry too much."

I didn't want any of the boys to get too attached to me. I didn't want anyone to worry.

Kurapika smiled again and continued eating his egg, getting the hint. He seemed less regretful now.

"Oh, and by the way? I poisoned your egg."

His eyes widened but otherwise he didn't react. Swallowing his bite, he turned to me and shrugged.

"So I wasn't the only one?"

I paled and glanced down at my egg briefly before looking up at him weakly.

"W-What do you mean…?"

"I poisoned your egg."

I was confused and hurt. The poison kicked in and I dropped to my knees, coughing.

"I-I was kidding-!" I coughed out, about to pass out.

"Oh? Well I wasn't."

I felt my life drain away as Kurapika nonchalantly continued to eat his egg.

"I'm not being paired up with any OCs, I'm ending this story right here."

* * *

[1] – Maybe he should see Doctor Leorio? Huehuehue-*shot*

[2] – I have a thing that Chu can't cook or do housewife/feminine activities. Like the fanciest thing she can serve is toast with a mini flag on it (kinda like Leorio's pork). I also have a headcannon that Kurapika can clean and do other housewife/feminine activities perfectly that Chu can't but is even worse at cooking than Chu. Like he always burns his toast or something. Just funny headcannons I have. X3 That's also why I added in the poisoned egg in the omake!

* * *

Me: I think Chu nearly died twice in this chapter… Goddamn, it's only the third chapter! Causing a fire and dropping into an abyss isn't exactly the best thing she could've done! XD


	4. Tricked X By X Weirdos

Me: I've been getting good reviews on this so far. Let's see if I can keep it up! I must meet the people's expectations while staying calm! (Oh no Trick Tower's next oh no how will I fit Chu into that ohnoohnoohnoOHNO!)

To MidoriEmerald13:

Me: It's actually a habit of mine. Everything Chu does is something I do basically. When I'm sleepy I pet people on the head, hug people a lot, and nuzzle people's cheeks. I like to put small details about myself into my OCs. Expect a sleepy, affectionate Chu later. XD I don't even think she's aware of it, she just does what she feels like. I'd like to say she's either the same age or slightly younger than Kurapika, like 16. I haven't specified it in the story. And I like to think she's only just taller than Gon and Killua, she'd only reach Kurapika's shoulders/neck I think, maybe shorter. I think he secretly finds her height and actions cute but doesn't notice it just yet.

Kurapika: *turns his head away stubbornly* I don't have time for relationships. I need to focus on my goals.

Chu: *facing away from him, pouting and blushing* As if I'd end up in a relationship with a workaholic.

Me: They have no control over who they fall in love with cause I do, I have magical authoress powers! XD

To DuskMuse711:

Me: Considering that Chu is a tsundere, I-refuse-to-show-emotions-or-weakness, I-don't-want-friends kind of person matched with the boys, who are the complete opposites, it should be very interesting indeed. Oh, and that question isn't strange at all! In fact, it was a really good one! It actually stumped me because I hadn't actually thought of that. Chu only did the Exam to get stronger I think, for reasons that will remain unknown for now, and I think she doesn't really have a goal for after the Exam just yet. She just wants to do the Exam, get its benefits and leave. Though… considering the fact that this is a KurapikaxOC story she might go after the same line of work as him? Or the opposite? What even is the opposite of a Blacklist Hunter? *brain explodes*

To Tanaka Yue:

Well, I was thinking of my headcanon that Kurapika can't cook then I thought of the eggs then I thought of what his reaction to these OC stories would be and the omake kinda was just born. I make the omakes spontaneously. XD Thank you, I'm glad you like it! Oh, and Chu has PLENTY of secrets huehue~ You'll find out what they are eventually~

To Arrow-chan3:

I pride myself on my stupid omakes. I purposely wait until I'm really tired to write them cause I can get really loopy when I'm tired. And I will shamelessly admit that I only named her Chu so that the shipping name would be PikaChu~ XD #PikaChuFTW #KurapikaWillKillMeForThis #NoRegrets

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter and its 2011 adaptation belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my OCs, sub-plots and anything not included in the original series. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Tricked X By X Weirdos**

 **Previously:**

"Either way, I purposely let myself go. It was either me or the both of us. You didn't drop me at all, so don't worry too much."

I didn't want any of the boys to get too attached to me. I didn't want anyone to worry.

Kurapika smiled again and continued eating his egg, getting the hint. He seemed less regretful now.

" _He seemed genuinely worried. Does he actually care or is it obligation? Or maybe he's considering me as his friend. I hope that isn't the case."_

* * *

 **Now:**

After finishing up our eggs, the remaining applicants, including myself and the boys, boarded the airship with the Chairman and his assistant Beans. We were all headed towards the site of the Third Phase.

Netero had called us to the front of the blimp, giving out announcements.

"Allow me to introduce myself to the forty-two remaining applicants. I am Netero, Chairman of this year's Hunter Exam Selection Committee."

"I am his secretary, Beans."

I liked Beans. He seemed nice and had acted politely and kindly when he had given me my tag earlier. I could tell he was a nice person.

"Originally, I'd planned to make my appearance during the exam's final phase, but as I'm already here…"

Everyone watched him silently, taking in his appearance. He was acting nice enough, but he seemed to have a professional and slightly intimidating atmosphere around him. He certainly acted like Chairman.

"I'm loving this tension in the air!" he seemed to be amused "So I think I'll stick around for the rest of the trip."

Netero simply laughed, dismissing our caution. Beans kept on smiling as he proceeded.

"We are scheduled to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning, at 8 AM. You'll find dinner waiting in the dining hall. You also welcome to get some rest. In other words, you're free to do as you please until you are contacted."

Killua immediately turned to Gon, smiling.

"Okay, Gon! Let's explore the airship!"

"Yeah!"

Kurapika, Leorio and I watched the two run off smiling. They seemed to be having fun.

" _They act like they didn't just run a marathon and jump off a cliff."_ I thought. Leorio seemed to agree.

"How can they have so much energy? I'm hitting the sack."

"You can say that again." Kurapika joined in, sighing. His seriousness didn't fade as he turned to us properly and kept talking, "However, I do have one concern…"

"Hmm? What's up?"

The three of us started walking towards the door.

I didn't join their conversation. Frankly, I just wanted to rest my legs. I may rely on them during the exam, but during free time I had no obligation to hang with them.

"How many more phases are there?" Kurapika asked. The two stopped. I continued to walk without them, determined to eat then get some rest.

"Oh… They've never mentioned that, have they?"

"On average, there are five to six phases." I stopped and turned at the sound of Tonpa's voice. I was not letting that idiot trick Kurapika and Leorio again.

They may just be acquaintances, but I wasn't stupid. I had needed them, more Kurapika than Leorio but whatever, to pass the first two phases. We had worked together. If I lost them due to Tonpa's trickery, passing the next few phases would be hard. That and it'd be downright cruel to leave them with Tonpa. I may be shut-in but I wasn't heartless. [1]

"Which means we still have three or four to go…" Leorio and Kurapika had turned to Tonpa curiously, "All the more reason to rest now."

The two turned and started walking, catching up to where I had stopped. They quickly stopped and turned again when Tonpa kept talking.

"But you should be careful."

"Huh?"

"The secretary only told us when we'll arrive at our destination. It's possible that the third exam could take place on this airship itself. And it doesn't necessarily mean we'll be contacted at 8 AM."

"Huh? Are you serious?"

"Hmm, that does make sense…"

He did bring up some good points, but I still didn't believe it. He was just trying to trick us out of rest. And the two boys were believing him.

Deciding my neutral façade wasn't working, I walked up in between the two boys and gave Tonpa a warning glare. Warning him outright that if my two companions suffered because of him that he would be in deep trouble. [2]

Tonpa gulped, seeming to get nervous under my gaze, but didn't back down.

"You might wake up to discover that the exam has already ended. If you plan to make it to the next phase, don't let yourself relax on this airship."

Both males seemed to be taking it under consideration, Leorio cursing outright.

"Well, that was some good advice. Thanks." Leorio smiled and turned, heading towards the door again.

"We shall bear that in mind." Kurapika replied curtly, joining Leorio.

I snorted and turned, giving Tonpa the cold shoulder as I followed my companions. I didn't trust him. And if these two failed because of him…

"Let's all do our best." I heard him call cheerfully. I sighed and caught up to Kurapika and Leorio. I wasn't letting them get fooled.

"Do you two honestly believe him?" I asked, keeping my voice calm and disinterested. [3]

"I don't want to, he seems shady. But he did bring up good points." Leorio reasoned before stretching and yawning "I don't think I can stay up though. I'm spent!"

"I sincerely doubt that will be the case." Kurapika replied quickly. He was on the same side as me.

"I don't think the Third Phase will happen, but there's always the chance that applicants will attack each other between phases. The part about relaxing is true." I pointed out, adjusting my hood absentmindedly as we walked.

"What do we do? Stay up all night then?" Leorio asked. He was obviously displeased with the thought of no sleep.

"That's ridiculous, Leorio-san. But I do think we should be on guard."

We stopped by a set of windows and leant against the wall, looking out at the stars. No one else was around.

"How can we rest and be on guard?" Leorio asked again, slumping down and sitting on the floor. Kurapika and I joined him. Before I could answer, I was interrupted by Leorio falling asleep and snoring, drool starting to drip from his mouth.

Kurapika smiled softly and turned to me, shrugging slightly, "I guess Leorio gave up trying to stay awake?"

"Didn't even last five minutes." I pointed out, stretching as I faced the Kurta, "I was about to say that we could take turns resting. One of us is on guard while the other two rest. I guess Leorio-san was way ahead of me."

The blond chuckled and looked out of the windows lining the airship exterior, responding with a quiet "I guess so."

The two of us stayed silent for awhile. Glancing at Kurapika out of the corner of my eye, I could see his eyes grow heavy. Deciding to speak up, I turned to him fully and nudged him.

"You can rest too, you know. I can stay up by myself."

"It would be rude to leave you by yourself." He responded, smiling at me. I huffed and turned away, frowning.

"I can take care of myself just fine! You need sleep more than I do!"

I didn't look to see his reaction, being stubborn. I knew I was being rude but I felt as if I was letting Kurapika get close to me. I needed to push him away. He was an acquaintance, someone I was working with to pass the Hunter Exam. He wasn't my friend at all!

Why was I even here right now? I should be getting some sleep and eating as much as I can at the dining hall. I didn't need to be here babysitting Kurapika and Leorio.

" _They may not be my friends, but I need to still look out for them."_ I reasoned, getting upset with myself, _"Kurapika-san, especially, took care of me through the first few phases. It's fine to push them away and not be their friend, but I need to take care of them and repay Kurapika for what he's done."_

I kept contradicting and arguing with myself as I stared out of the window. Soon, I felt my eyes grow heavy. Debating about my relationship with Kurapika and the others was making me sleepy.

Closing my eyes, I felt my body relax fully. Next thing I know, my consciousness has left me.

* * *

 **No one's POV** [4]

Kurapika stared out the window, feeling a bit baffled.

At first, he had regarded Chu with politeness. He helped him when he fell and didn't fuss too much when the younger boy acted a bit rude towards him. In those situations, Kurapika simply put the rudeness down to shyness and embarrassment. Chu seemed like a quiet and polite person.

Over time, Kurapika began to feel kindness towards his new companion. Helping Chu whenever he needed it, Kurapika treated Chu like Gon, Leorio and even Killua. Though Kurapika acted only out of politeness at first, Chu seemed to grow on him. Kurapika never intended to make friends, but here he was. He started to consider Chu a friend as well, despite the occasional rudeness.

His behaviour was what baffled Kurapika. Chu seemed to be kind and polite one moment, then rude and fenced-off the next. He also didn't seem to display any emotion, keeping his face blank whenever he could. There were brief moments when Kurapika would see relief or frustration leak out only to be erased again. Chu's bipolar-like attitude confused the Kurta boy. It was obvious Chu was a nice person and cared about the people he was around. But it was also obvious that he never trusted anyone fully and was suspicious of everyone, keeping himself away from others.

" _Did something happen to him?"_ Kurapika mused, considering many reasons for Chu's behaviour, _"There has to be a reason for his distrust."_

Kurapika decided not to push it too far. He considered Chu a friend, but it was obvious Chu refused to consider Kurapika his friend. He wasn't close enough to the boy to ask him anything personal.

Getting worried due to Chu's elongated silence, Kurapika turned to ask if anything was wrong. Chu had dozed off, leaning back against the wall. No noise came out of him, his mouth parted slightly with a small amount of drool dripping out. It was nothing compared to the oldest of them though. Leorio continued to snore loudly and had unintentionally begun to lean on the younger boy, drool dripping onto the top of Chu's hood. Chu, surprisingly, didn't seem at all bothered by Leorio's weight or drool and simply continued to sleep peacefully.

Kurapika couldn't help but smile at the sight. Chu, for once, held emotion on his face and looked peaceful instead of his usual tense, suspicious, neutral composure. That, and the sight of the two was beyond adorable. They resembled siblings almost.

Kurapika sighed quietly and faced the windows again, relaxing himself. He was tired after the first two phases, but didn't want to leave them completely defenceless in the middle of a corridor. Deciding a little sleep wouldn't hurt, Kurapika closed his eyes and relaxed further. No one was around. Everyone was probably off resting as well. Resting like this wouldn't harm anyone, right?

And with that, Kurapika dozed off as well, unintentionally joining Leorio by leaning on Chu.

* * *

 **Back to Chu's POV**

When I opened my eyes, it was light outside. It was morning.

My body was racked with shivers. The nightmare I had just had was vivid and was worse than all of my other ones.

"Did you rest well, miss?"

Turning my head slightly, I glanced at Beans. He seemed to have been walking past and was smiling at me.

"Considering the circumstances, yes." I yawned quietly as I responded, "Thank you, Beans-san."

"Think nothing of it."

A thought popped into my head and I frowned slightly, looking at Beans suspiciously.

"How did you know my gender?"

Beans continued to smile as he responded cheerfully.

"You gave us your details when you registered for the exam, Reiki-san. That, and your feminine facial features are apparent when your hood is down." He pointed out, continuing to act kindly.

I raised an eyebrow and glanced upward. Indeed, my hood was down. My teal bangs were messy and my cream-coloured beanie had slipped off as well, revealing the rest of my long hair, tied up in a bun. I also discovered that, sometime during the night, Kurapika and Leorio had both leaned on me. I currently couldn't move my body at all.

I glanced at Beans awkwardly and he just shrugged slightly and continued on your way. His last words being "You should wake your companions soon. It is nearly 8 AM."

"Thank you again!" I called out after him before attempting to wriggle my way out of the pile I was in. Freeing my head and arms, I quickly neatened my hair, put my beanie back on then pulled my hood back up, effectively hiding my features again.

Next step: wake up Leorio and Kurapika.

Deeming that Kurapika was the lighter sleeper of the two, I placed a hand on his shoulder and shook while calling his name softly. Not even a few shakes in, I felt Kurapika lift his head off my shoulder. Murmuring sleepy nonsense softly, the boy's brownish-gray eyes opened halfway and glanced up at me. Blinking, Kurapika got off me completely, stretching and yawning quietly. He then gave me his full attention, instantly awake.

"Good morning, Chu-san. I apologize for falling asleep on you." He seemed a bit embarrassed about it. I shrugged, as best as I could with Leorio on me, and responded.

"It's fine. You needed the rest. Good morning to you too."

Kurapika looked at Leorio then back at me, an amused smile quickly emerging.

"Do you need any help?"

I glanced at Leorio, who was dead to the world, then back at Kurapika.

"Yes please."

Kurapika quickly joined me as we started shaking Leorio and calling his name. Unlike Kurapika, who was up and awake in an instant, Leorio was impossible to wake up.

"This isn't working." Kurapika muttered before sighing and giving up on being nice, pushing Leorio roughly. The male instantly fell off me and collided with the floor.

And didn't wake up.

I sighed, getting frustrated. I got up and stretched my limbs as Kurapika continued to attempt to wake up Leorio.

A moment later, Beans' voice echoed over the loud speaker.

"I apologise for the long wait. The airship will soon arrive at its destination."

It must be 8 AM.

As if on cue, Leorio snapped up and yawned obnoxiously, stretching and nearly whacking Kurapika in the process.

"Morning guys! Are we there yet?"

My eye twitched as I forced myself to stay calm. Leorio didn't mean to be obnoxious. It was just how he was.

"Nearly."

"Look!" Getting up, Leorio strode over to the windows and looked outside, pointing out, "Is that where we're heading?"

Kurapika and I joined him at the windows. The only distinguishable thing in sight was a large, bare-looking tower.

"Great deduction skills, Leorio-san. It's the only thing we're heading towards."

"No need to be snappy, Chu!"

"You drooled on me in your sleep, I have every right to be snappy."

"You were drooling too, Chu-san."

"You're not helping."

* * *

Everyone had gathered on top of the bare tower after the airship landed. Gon and Killua quickly joined us as we surveyed the area. Everyone seemed confused as to why we had arrived at such a bare place.

Beans stood in front of us and cleared his throat, directing everyone's attention to him.

"Everyone, the exam's Third Phase will begin here, at the top of Trick Tower."

"Trick Tower?"

"To pass this phase, you must reach the tower's base alive. The time limit is seventy-two hours. With that, we will now begin the Third Phase. I will pray for your success."

Everyone glance around, Leorio muttering "No way." in disbelief. It seemed simple. Climb down a bare tower within seventy-two hours. Easy, right?

" _When is the Hunter Exam ever easy?"_ I thought as I double-checked the surroundings. Nothing suspicious was around.

Beans boarded the airship and within seconds it took off, leaving us here. Beans' voice echoed through the loud speaker.

"Best of luck to everyone!"

The five of us had wandered towards the side and looked down, gauging the height of the tower.

"Are we supposed to climb down?" Leorio asked no one in particular.

"That would be suicide…" Kurapika trailed off. A laugh cut off any other answer.

"Maybe for a normal person." We turned and looked at the owner of the voice, #86. He seemed buff. Cutting through us, he climbed over the ledge and started making his way down.

"But a top-class rock climber can handle this, no problem."

We watched him climb down at a steady pace, Killua letting out a "Wow…"

"He's going down pretty fast." Gon stated, watching with interest.

A loud flapping noise echoed through the silent air, getting closer and louder. Everyone turned to try and find the source, the climber pausing as well to see what was going on. Looking down as screeches started to call out, I saw massive red bird creatures with human-like faces and arms start to swarm the climber.

The man was quickly grabbed and taken away, muffled cried for help ringing out. Everyone was shocked at what had just occurred.

"I see why it's called Trick Tower now…" I mumbled, speaking to no one in particular. Leorio seemed the most shaken.

"G-Guess we can't climb down the side…"

"Yeah."

Everyone quickly went about finding other paths, tapping on the ground and looking over the edges. I had split up from the four boys, determined to find a path by myself. I didn't want to rely on them and increase my debt to them.

"I see you're no longer relying on those other applicants, little boy."

I turned to see a brawny man smirking down at me. He was twice my height, with sharp teeth and pale skin. His spiky blond hair shined in the sun and his green eyes glared down at me. He seemed confident and cocky and definitely seemed too muscularly for his own good. [5]

"What do you mean?" I asked, forcing myself not to seem irritated with this cocky applicant.

"The loud mouth with the briefcase and the blond know-it-all. You're not with them anymore?"

"We split up for a bit. Mind your own business." I responded, turning to walk away.

"I'm just glad the little gay ass shota isn't depending on older men anymore. Had enough of your sugar daddies?"

His voice was purposely jeering me on, aiming to insult both myself and my companions.

And for once, my anger was actually showing.

"Want to repeat that?" I responded, getting defensive. Insulting me was one thing, I was used to that, but insulting two people who had nothing to do with this was another. Kurapika and Leorio didn't deserve it.

His smirk increased as he leaned forward, getting in my face.

"Listen rookie. No one wants a weak ass shota clinging to them during something as important as the Hunter Exam. Your senpais, those 'friends' of yours, will end up dumping your sweet behind. They're the reason you're here right now. Are ya going to repay them? You should be grateful they haven't ditched you yet."

I stood my ground, letting my calm façade slip. I was pissed. But moreover, I was actually getting concerned. Because, besides the insults and innuendos, I knew he was right. I did rely on Kurapika and Leorio a lot, more than I intended. If I didn't pay them back, would they leave me?

" _What are you talking about?"_ I scolded myself, attempting to calm down, _"You're the one who didn't want to make friends! You're the one distancing yourself from them! If they leave you, that's what you wanted! Why does it matter?"_

Seeming satisfied, the older man flicked me in the forehead and strode off smirking. Calling over his shoulder, his loud voice gained a lot of attention.

"Maybe you should distance yourself more? Maybe then you won't be such a burden, little boy!"

" _It matters because it bothers me. I don't want to burden anyone anymore."_ I thought, realising things one at a time, _"Even if they're not my friends, they deserve better than someone like me dragging them down. I need to repay them, maybe distancing myself is the way?"_

"Chu! Over here!"

Forcing my emotions down, I turned and looked over. Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio had joined together again and were looking at me. Gon had been the one to yell and was waving his arms with a smile, hoping to get my attention.

I sighed and wandered over, trying to get those man's words out of my head. He was only trying to make me upset. I didn't need distractions. [6]

"What is it?" I asked calmly upon walking up to them.

"We found the way out." Killua started, placing his hands on his waist with a smirk, "We figured we should let you know."

"There are five trap doors around! We can get through the tower together by flipping the stones!" Gon smiled, pointing around at the doors.

"Only one can go through a door at a time and the doors can only be used once. They may be traps as well." Kurapika pointed out, "We'll need to split up."

I nodded, listening to everything they were saying.

"Gon and I decided that we're each going to choose a door."

"No hard feelings if one of us springs a trap!"

Gon and Killua continued to smile, acting without a care in the world. They were acting as if springing traps didn't matter.

"What are you guys gonna do?" Gon asked and I tensed. What was I gonna do?

" _ **Listen rookie. No one wants a weak ass shota clinging to them during something as important as the Hunter Exam."**_

I frowned and looked away, considering things.

" _ **Maybe you should distance yourself more? Maybe then you won't be such a burden, little boy!"**_

"I can live with that. Luck is part of the game…" Leorio smiled confidently. Kurapika quickly added a "I have no objection." to the mix.

"What about you, Chu?" Gon asked me before tilting his head confused, "What's wrong? You're frowning…"

I snapped back out of my thoughts and forced my blank face back. Turning slightly away from the group, I responded in a cold, calm voice.

"Actually, I found something interesting over there. I want to check it out first. I'll come back and flip the fifth door if nothing comes up." I was purposely reacting coldly. I was lying, sure, but I didn't want to travel with them for this phase. I needed to be by myself.

" _They're not my friends and I am NOT a burden!"_

"Are you sure, Chu-san?" Kurapika asked, looking a bit concerned. I turned and stormed off, calling over my shoulder, "I'm sure!"

" _I don't need them! I don't need anybody! I won't rely on them anymore!"_

I was frustrated. I was embarrassed. I wasn't going to admit either of the two.

" _I don't need friends!"_

* * *

" _Maybe I should go back…"_ I thought, frustrated as I wandered around. It had been a few minutes and I couldn't find any other exits. I didn't want to admit defeat and rely on the boys more but, so far, those trapdoors were the only way to go.

Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I could see the man from before smirking at me. He was fiddling with a wad of jenny in his hand. Where had he gotten the money?

Realisation struck me as I paled.

" _He tricked me! He purposely made me question myself!"_

I turned to where the trapdoors were only to spot Tonpa grinning at me victoriously as he flipped the last trapdoor.

I wasn't joining the boys any time soon.

I turned to where the man was and glared. He simply waved his wad of jenny at me while mouthing the words "Better luck next year rookie~" as he flipped a trapdoor of his own.

" _Tonpa must've paid him to trip me up. How could I be so stupid!?"_ I growled to myself as I wandered around, trying to find another way into the tower.

" _I know I wanted to distance myself from the guys but I didn't want to fail the Exam because of it! How could I let myself be deceived by Tonpa-san and a stranger of all people!?"_

I frowned and flopped onto the ground, taking a break from my wandering to calm myself down.

" _I really do rely on them, don't I…?"_

* * *

It had been almost half an hour and I couldn't find another way in.

By the time I had calmed down and started thinking properly again all of the doors had been used. Other applicants that were stranded up here like me had attempted to go down the sides again only to meet their deaths. Now it was only me left up here.

" _I underestimated the Hunter Exam. I knew it was hard but… it seems as if I can't pass even one phase without help! I only got this far because of the boys!"_

I was frustrated with myself. I was frustrated with the Exam. I was frustrated with everything. I was definitely much calmer than before but my anger still showed. I was being left behind.

"I really am a burden, aren't I…?" I muttered to myself, getting up and walking around. I couldn't even get past one phase by myself. Talk about incompetent.

While walking, I spotted something that nobody had noticed before. In the centre of the tower, a panel had been pushed down slightly. Walking over and inspecting it, I realised it resembled the trapdoors.

" _That… wasn't there before."_

Deciding it was my only chance, I cautiously stepped onto the panel. Next thing I know, the door flips and I'm falling into a dark room. Hitting the ground hard, I laid there for a moment before getting up and realising what had just happened.

I had triggered a trapdoor.

I was in the tower.

I still had a chance.

All of my worry and frustration washed away with a sense of relief. Barely keeping my happiness off my face, I scanned the room. It was a blank, brick room with only a small, wooden pedestal inside of it and a speaker.

And on that pedestal was a gun.

I walked over and picked up the black revolver, checking it out carefully. There was no safety; however, there were foam bullets in the chamber instead of real ones.

"What is this?" I asked myself, placing the gun back onto the pedestal and backing away slightly.

"Welcome applicant #355."

"Who's there?" I made my voice threatening as I scanned the room. No one was here besides me.

"My name is Lippo. I'm the prison warden here as well as the Third Phase examiner. It's nice to meet you~!"

I spun and faced the speaker, deducing that that was where the voice was coming from.

"Don't mess with me. Why am I here?"

"Simple. Throughout this prison, multiple paths have been made. When all of the paths have been taken, this path becomes available. Welcome to the Roulette Path!"

" _No wonder that trapdoor wasn't there before. It's a last resort. It only became active when I was the last one of the top."_

I frowned, glancing at the gun. Did he mean Russian Roulette?

"Roulette Path?"

"Uh-huh. To clear this tower, you must complete a path. The Roulette Path is like a second chance for applicants who failed to enter a normal path."

"What do I do here?"

"Simple. Play Russian Roulette."

I glanced at the gun then back at the speaker.

"There has to be a catch."

I heard a laugh on his end before he responded.

"I suppose I should explain fully."

I picked up the gun again and listened to his explanation carefully.

"On each of those bullets is the name of a normal path. Simply spin the chamber, point at your head, and shoot. The gun only fires at random, however. So continue shooting until you get a random bullet. Whatever path is on the bullet is the path I'll send you to. Understood?"

" _I knew there was a catch. I could get stuck with Hisoka for all I know. Or that other man. Or that guy with the needles, Gittarackur or whatever his name is."_

"I understand."

Spinning the barrel, I raised the gun and pulled the trigger. A faint click sounded but nothing came out. I spun the barrel again and repeated the process six or seven times until I finally felt something flick the side of my head. Placing the gun down, I kneeled and picked up the bullet.

"Majority rules…?"

"I see. That's path you got."

Hearing a click, I turned around. One of the square tiles on the floor had pressed down slightly. Another trapdoor.

"Please step onto the trapdoor. You will be taken to the Majority Rules pathway."

" _Does that mean I'll have to use votes and work together with applicants who I probably don't even know?"_

I didn't like this one bit.

Heading over to the door, I was about to hop onto the trapdoor when Lippo's voice rang out through the room again.

"I forgot to mention something. You'll be heading to your path via a slide. This slide has exits throughout the tower. It may be awhile before you get to your destination. Expect to be sliding for a few hours!"

"Sliding? Hours?"

Before I could doubt my decision, I had triggered the door. Falling through, I landed on a spiral slide and instantly started slipping down.

" _I regret this!"_

* * *

I must've been sliding for hours. Lippo wasn't joking. My body hurt from the rough ride and constant sliding. Whenever I reached a crossroad, a door would block the wrong way and I would be directed down a split slide. The slide was everywhere with multiple different routes I could've chosen. Everyone in the tower could probably hear me considering how much I was yelling.

Sliding down, I paled when I saw my slide leading to a door. The door opened and bright light poured into the dark cavern I had been sliding in.

My grip on my hood, which I had grabbed to stop it from flying everywhere, tightened as I continued to yell, falling through the door and towards the floor. Within seconds I had slammed into the ground hard. I definitely had some bruises.

"Chu!?"

Lifting my head weakly, I looked over to see Gon and the others staring at me surprised.

I waved tiredly, sitting up properly.

"Yo."

* * *

 **No one's POV** [7]

A door on the wall opened up slowly, a bridge connecting it to the main floor appeared as well. Kurapika, Gon, Killua, Leorio and Tonpa watched as the new path formed. They were intrigued and confused. Lippo's voice quickly rang through the room, cutting through the newly formed silence.

"Across the bridge, you'll find a small room. You must spend the fifty hours you gambled away there."

Without hesitation, Killua reacted first.

"Well, let's go." He stated, smiling. But as he walked forward, Lippo cut through again.

"Before you go, there is something I would like to inform you about."

The five of them payed attention as Lippo continued.

"Another applicant will be joining you on this route and will continue to stay with you for the remainder of your time in Trick Tower. They will not participate in Majority Rules decisions however, please tell them this. Also, please inform them of the rules for this path as well as what you have already experienced. This applicant only knows what path they're joining and knows nothing else."

"Another applicant?" Gon asked, only to get no response from Lippo. Within a few moments, faint yelling could be heard echoing around, getting closer and louder. A square-shared hole appeared in the ceiling of the large room and a person fell out of it, yelling loudly. Within seconds, the person hit the ground hard and ceased yelling.

"Chu!?" Gon called out in surprise and concern. The young boy had just popped out of nowhere and had just slammed into the ground.

Said boy waved weakly before slowly sitting upright. Looking over, all that came out of the boy's mouth was a tired "Yo."

* * *

 **Back to Chu's POV**

"Yo."

"'Yo'!? That's all you have to say!? You just dropped from the ceiling!" Leorio yelled at me, looking very concerned. I shrugged off his concern and got off the floor, my body instantly screaming in protest. I wobbled slightly as I straightened myself, the others joining me.

"Are you alright, Chu-san?" Kurapika asked, placing a hand on my shoulder to help stabilize me. I brushed his hand off, responding with a curt "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't want me to check for broken bones?" Leorio asked, outstretching his hands. I immediately backed away from, holding out my own hands in a "back off" motion.

"I said I was okay! I'm just bruised!"

My leg kicked something and I turned to see what it was.

I had just kicked a dead body.

I slowly faced the boys again, paled.

"I… don't want to know what happened here…"

Gon smiled and grabbed my hand, leading me away from the body and into a room.

"We can explain anything once we get inside."

* * *

"Leorio-san bid off fifty hours just so he could grope a girl!?"

Screw being calm, I was infuriated! Gon told me the story of what had happened while we were separated. Not only had Killua stolen someone's heart but Leorio had bid off fifty hours to satisfy his own libido.

I purposely sat between Gon and Kurapika, away from Killua and Leorio. They were the kind of people I didn't want to be around. They didn't seem to notice me distancing myself from them as Gon told their story.

Killua looked unfazed and Leorio seemed scared of my reaction. I had my arms crossed and my face clearly showed I wasn't putting up with their crap. Of all the routes I could've been put in…

"It's not all bad! You're here with us now, right? It's better than being stuck on top of the tower!" Gon cheered, trying to calm me down.

I had also told them my side of the story, explaining my game of Russian Roulette and why I was here. It was true. I was with people I could somewhat trust AND I was inside. It was better than being trapped outside. Or worse, in a route with Hisoka or Gittarackur.

"I suppose it isn't as bad as it could be…" I sighed, calming myself down.

"That's right." Kurapika gave me a warm smile. Leorio breathed a sigh of relief, glad that I wasn't mad at him. Gon's smile widened.

"It's okay! You get to spend fifty ours with us! We're friends, you know!"

I tensed, looking away and not responding.

" _I don't consider you a friend. I'm suspicious of all of you. I want to distance myself. I don't want to burden or hurt anyone again."_ [8]

"We are… friends… right Chu?" Gon asked, frowning from my lack of response. He sounded heartbroken.

" _I'm sorry Gon-san, I just can't let people in straight away. I have a hard time trusting people. I can't call you my friend until I'm positive everything's alright."_

Sensing that the subject needed to change, Killua nudged Gon.

"Ne, we should search the room for any kind of entertainment. We're going to be spending fifty hours in here after all!"

Gon turned to Killua pouting, mumbling a small "Okay." as he and Killua got up to search the room. I made him upset.

" _I'm trying not to hurt people and I end up making them upset! Goddammit…"_

I sighed quietly and walked over to the bookshelf, looking through it.

May as well spend these fifty hours doing something.

* * *

 **Omake:**

Gon turned to Killua pouting, mumbling a small "Okay." as he and Killua got up to search the room. I made him upset.

" _I'm trying not to hurt people and I end up making them upset! Goddammit…"_

I sighed quietly and walked over to the bookshelf, looking through it.

May as well spend these fifty hours doing something.

Looking through the bookshelf, I paused upon spotting a neon pink book in the midst of the duller-coloured books. Pulling the book out, my face exploded with red as I looked at the front cover.

It was a hentai magazine.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I flipped through a couple of pages, quickly getting to the pin up page. I let the page unfold, my face curling with disgust at the scantily-clad model.

"What're you looking at Ch-WOAH!" Leorio's cut me off. Instantly the magazine was ripped out of my hands as Leorio scanned through.

"I didn't know you were into this Chu!"

"I-I'm not! I was just curious as to what it was!"

Leorio ignored me, yelling over his shoulder.

"Oi, Killua, Tonpa! Check this out!"

Both males instantly joined Leorio, ogling the magazine and nosebleeding.

"What is it?" Gon asked innocently, peeking over Killua's shoulder. He instantly passed out, his brain frying.

Kurapika shot me a dirty look, mouthing the words "Look at what you've started!" as he gestured to the fainted Gon.

I just sighed, slamming my face into the wall.

"WHAT HAVE I DOOOOONE!?"

* * *

[1] – Man, Chu really hates Tonpa doesn't she? She's not letting him anywhere near her friends (though she won't admit they're her friends yet).

[2] – She REALLY hates Tonpa, goddamn!

[3] – Okay, we're back to normal Chu now.

[4] – This is going by Kurapika's thoughts and as far as he's concerned, Chu is male. Which is why Kurapika is using male pronouns for Chu. He'll find out about Chu's gender soon though so don't worry!

[5] – This guy is actually important so remember him.

[6] – It was at this moment that I realised that Chu is VERY bipolar.

[7] – Similar to [4]

[8] – This has to do with secret backstory stuff.

* * *

Me: I aimed to have a phase per chapter but I decided to split this phase in half, considering the length of the phase. I think I will do the same with the rest of the phases as well. Maybe. Each chapter should only be 6000-10000 words, maybe longer. Also, Chu's actually showing emotion for once! I think she's just tired and cranky, bipolar too, so yeah. How do you like them apples?

Gon: We hope you enjoyed, see you next time! *flailing while smiling*


	5. Error X And X Exit

Me: I'm sorry I didn't update as fast as normal. Stuff happened, such as Christmas and a new baby entering the family, that sidetracked me. Sorry! Oh well, this is the first chapter for 2016! Woot!

To MidoriEmerald13:

Me: I needed a reason for Chu to not join the boys straight away, just so Tonpa could be the fifth person like he canonically is. So I thought, what would make Chu distance herself long enough for Tonpa to flip the trapdoor? Then it kinda spiralled into Tonpa paying a guy to make Chu doubt herself long enough for Tonpa to flip the door. And yeah, Tonpa annoys me SO much! I literally call him 'box-nose pig man' sometimes just for the fun of it. And Chu ISN'T interested in hentai! She saw it, got curious as to what it was, flipped through it, and Leorio just happened to take it the wrong way! Chu's not COMPLETELY innocent when it comes to that stuff but she isn't the kind of person to know what a hentai magazine is, y'know? Leorio, Killua and Tonpa on the other hand… Complete perverts. XD

To Arrow-chan3:

Me: Stuff happened in Chu's life that's made her an introvert and suspicious of everyone. I never intended for Chu to be emo or tsundere. XD Though I agree, she should stop being a tsun-tsun and admit that they're her friends already. Yeah, I wasn't as sleepy this time when I made the omake but regardless! XD And don't worry, Gonny will eventually get overloaded with apologies and hugs from Chu. Maybe later.

To BizzyLizy:

My omakes are aimed to please! And I know I don't have to, but its habit of mine. I prefer it this way too. It just seems cleaner to me? Either way, I prefer it like that. And I agree. That's the whole reason why I made that character. He doesn't even have a name. He's just there to make Chu's life extra hard. XD

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter and its 2011 adaptation belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my OCs, sub-plots and anything not included in the original series. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Error X And X Exit**

 **Previously:**

Gon turned to Killua pouting, mumbling a small "Okay." as he and Killua got up to search the room. I made him upset.

" _I'm trying not to hurt people and I end up making them upset! Goddammit…"_

I sighed quietly and walked over to the bookshelf, looking through it.

May as well spend these fifty hours doing something.

* * *

 **Now:**

Kurapika seemed to have the same idea as me, as he soon joined me in raiding the bookshelf. I got bored of the books quickly, considering they were mostly history books or books about various famous Hunters, but Kurapika continued to pick out books to read later. He must be into that stuff.

Tonpa refused to leave the kettle's side, making himself cups of tea every nice in awhile. I suppose it was to keep himself awake, that or he was addicted to it. Everyone simply ignored Tonpa.

Leorio had sat himself down on the couch next to Kurapika and the bookshelf. He hadn't really done much for the few hours we had been in here. He seemed to be spacing out.

Killua and Gon had been playing around with various things in the room, entertaining themselves with the limited movies and TV shows in the room. Currently, Killua was showing Gon how to do some skateboard trick. Gon didn't seem to be getting it.

I was currently going through every single drawer and shelf in the room. The bookshelf had been boring, but that didn't mean the rest of the room was. It kinda reminded me of a small hotel room, with less room service. I found various one jenny coins under the couches, which I ended up giving to Leorio. Any money is good money to him. I found one candy bar in another shelf, which Gon and Killua fought over. Killua ended up just stealing it, much to Gon's displeasure. I was currently on my hands and knees, rummaging underneath the couch Leorio was sitting on, the only one I hadn't been to. [1]

"Are you still snooping around?" Tonpa asked, looking at me weirdly as I pulled out a scrunched up piece of paper.

"It's not snooping. It's called satisfying my boredom." I responded in an obviously bored tone, looking at the paper before throwing it away. It was just a bunch of lines and scribbles anyways.

Killua passed Gon the skateboard after demonstrating the trick again. Gon smiled and took it. He must've finally got it.

Leorio looked over towards the bookshelf, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Kurapika. Once we've spent fifty hours here, we'll have fewer than ten hours, right?"

Kurapika put the book pile he had collected down and turned to Leorio as Tonpa made another tea and started to drink.

"Yes, that's correct."

"That's way more than enough time!" It was good that Leorio seemed happier now. He was obviously bummed out about the penalty before. I preferred annoying Leorio to mopey Leorio.

"You're a fool."

Oh, here we go.

"What's that?"

" _Don't drag his confidence down even more, Tonpa-san. It's obvious he's already feeling bad about before."_ I thought, sighing quietly as I stuck my hand back under the couch.

"Phase Three last seventy-two hours. And each phase is designed to weed out half of the remaining candidates. So, on average, it's meant to take seventy-two hours. Just more proof that you're an idiot."

" _I get it. You're trying to throw Leorio off by making him feel guilty. Just like what you did with me and the other applicant before."_ My eye twitched as I listened to him ramble. I knew he wasn't lying, but did have to say it in such a way to make Leorio feel insecure? I wasn't going to let it stand.

"Well, our chances of reaching the goal within ten hours will depend on the remaining trials." Kurapika seemed to be thinking the same as me, trying to reassure Leorio without lying or exaggerating.

"Don't get your hopes down." I added in, using my free hand to send Leorio a thumbs up.

"Yeah, that's true."

Tonpa took another sip and continued to talk, smirking.

"But when we've got a guy who's so down on his luck, he can't even win a simple game of rock-paper-scissors…"

"What was that!?" Leorio got angrier.

"You deliberately lost a bet, just to satiate your libido. Then you chose rock-paper-scissors, a contest you couldn't win."

"Shut up! You surrendered without even a fight!"

Tonpa was telling the truth, but I hated the fact that he was wording it so that he could rub it in Leorio's face. At least Kurapika and I tried to reassure him.

"Sure, I surrendered. But I only wasted a second of our time. You lost, squandering fifty of our remaining hours. Take some responsibility, huh? Besides, what kind of Hunter is so bad at gambling?"

"Tonpa-san…" My voice was warning. Leorio jumped out of his chair, yelling at Tonpa to shut up while glaring.

"You don't even want to become a Hunter… You only care about ruining our chances."

Before Leorio could yell some more, Killua's skateboard whizzed past our heads and hit the wall.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Leorio instantly chastised Gon, who straightened himself out and instantly apologised.

I sighed and continued to rummage under the couch as Gon complained about not being able to skateboard anymore.

" _This is going to be a long fifty hours, isn't it?"_

* * *

Ten hours had passed since we arrived.

I bolted up from sleep, abruptly waking up from my nightmare gasping. I could hear Tonpa and Leorio snoring. Killua and Kurapika were talking quietly to each other as well.

"There aren't any windows, so it's hard to tell. But it's probably morning."

"Most likely."

" _It's the same nightmare every time too."_ I thought as I quickly calmed myself, making sure my hood hadn't fallen off like last time.

My waking up must've been loud as both boys stopped talking and glanced at me from where they laid.

"Are you alright? You seem distressed." Kurapika asked softly, his voice low so he didn't disturb the others.

"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." I replied politely, just barely keeping my calm composure. Deciding to switch the subject, I gestured to the remaining sleeping boys.

"How they can sleep fine is beyond me. This place isn't exactly the most comfortable. Plus the snoring."

"Must be heavy sleepers." Killua responded, sitting up and grabbing one of the many pillows he and Gon shared, "It just makes it easier for me."

Kurapika and I didn't get to ask what he meant before he pelted the pillow at Gon, which should've hit and woken up the boy. However, it didn't. Gon raised a hand and deflected the pillow back towards Killua, not even the slightest reaction adorning his face.

Killua caught the pillow, looking surprised. Smirking, he tried again. This time, Gon opened his eyes when he threw it back, revealing that he had been awake all along. This resulted in a pillow fight between the boys, peals of laughter coming from them both.

Kurapika closed his eyes again, probably going to sleep again. Though I knew that he wasn't going to get any, considering the noise the younger boys were making. I didn't even attempt to sleep; I just watched the pillow fight mould into a wrestling match as I double checked that I looked okay. I didn't want them to know my gender or that I had just had a nightmare. I knew I'd just have another nightmare if I fell back asleep as well.

Eventually the snoring from Leorio stopped and he started complaining, "Hey, pipe down."

The boys didn't respond and simply began laughing louder. Leorio rolled over fully, still wrapped up in his blanket cocoon as he continued to complain.

"Let me sleep some more…"

He didn't get his wish as Tonpa placed his sock-covered foot near Leorio's face, causing the male to bolt up, grimacing and yelling "That stinks!"

Gon and Killua continued to laugh, Kurapika even joined in with a few giggles.

"What's wrong with you guys? That wasn't funny."

"It was." I stated, barely holding in my own amusement. Leorio leaned over Tonpa and started muttering angry threats.

Kurapika sat up; probably deciding sleep wasn't going to come to him. Killua and Gon had stopped laughing and had settled down. Leorio stood up fully and walked over to the tea machine, grumbling about how he was completely awake now. It was obvious no one was going to get sleep, with maybe the exception of Tonpa.

Deciding to wake up Tonpa, I grabbed my pillow and pelted it at him. He sat up and looked around the room, irritated. I kept my face blank and innocent as he looked at me accusingly. Grabbing his pillow plus my own, he stood up and started making his way over to me, "It's on now."

Gon and Killua picked up their own pillows, getting ready to defend themselves. I stole Kurapika's pillow and got ready as well.

"Payback's horrible, Tonpa-san."

Leorio and Kurapika only sighed as the pillow war began again, both of them ending up being roped into it.

* * *

No one was safe.

Leorio ended up taking a nap later in the day anyways. He seemed really tired.

Kurapika was reading, going through his gradually decreasing pile of unread books. The books must've been more interesting than I thought. That, or maybe Kurapika was just so bored he didn't care what he read.

Tonpa was clipping his toenails with a pair of clippers I had found during my scavenger hunt earlier. He was so bored he resorted to this to entertain himself.

Gon was teaching Killua how to use his fishing rod. I was simply watching their lesson, also interested. That and it distracted me from the now throbbing bruises that had formed after my fall yesterday.

"Oh, I thought you just had to stick bait on a hook, and you could fish."

"Yeah. You have to think like a fish."

Killua's face was full of disbelief, "Think like a fish?"

"Yep! How would a fish feel if it saw bait dangling in front of it? Give me that."

Killua passed Gon the hook. Gon held it in front of his face before flicking his wrist, sending the fishing line flying. The hook fell into the empty tea cup next to Tonpa, who looked up from clipping his nails in surprise.

"Wow! Let me try." Killua took the pole from Gon and held it just like Gon did. Flicking his wrist, Killua sent the line flying over to Leorio's couch, the hook landing just behind his foot.

"Like this?"

"You missed."

"Just watch." Killua pulled back the rod. The hook flew back towards Killua but not before hooking onto Leorio's pants leg. I almost snorted from amusement as Killua continued to try and reel in Leorio's leg.

Leorio quickly woke up from his nap and quickly tried to get the hook out of his pants.

"H-Hey… What are you doing? Hey…"

"Just as planned?" I asked Killua, amusement twinkling in my eyes. [2]

"Just as planned!" was his cheerful reply. Gon even added a "Nice." to it.

"Hey, you'll tear my pants. Stop it." Leorio complained, finally unhooking the fishing hook and fixing up his pants. Killua reeled in the hook, obviously very amused.

"See? I caught him."

"Yup."

Leorio didn't take it well. After fixing up his pants, he jumped up and started yelling at the two boys.

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm a fish now!?"

Killua pouted and responded with "You don't have to get so mad. It's not like I'm gonna grill and eat you."

"Don't mess with me, fool!"

The two boys simply turned to each other and laughed, having fun. I was having fun just watching them, though I didn't show it. It was good that they were enjoying themselves, despite our circumstances. Deciding to join in the fun, I scooted closer to the younger boys and held out a hand.

"Do you mind if I try?"

The boys glanced over at me curiously, still smiling.

"You want a go?" Gon asked, tilting his head.

"Mmm. I will teach you a game I know in return, if you wish?"

"A game!?" Gon replied, both of them getting excited at the thought of something to do. It was very boring in here. Killua very quickly handed me the fishing pole, smirking.

I held the pole carefully, mimicking the stance the two boys had done. Scanning the room, I very quickly spotted my target, an idea popping into my head. Kurapika was so absorbed in his reading that he wasn't paying attention to us at all. So if I just…

Flicking the stick, I sent the line flying over to where the Kurta sat. Unfortunately, I overdid my aim and ended up sending the hook flying directly within his vision. Within seconds he grabbed the hook and inspected it, wondering why a hook had disrupted his reading. Glancing upwards, his eyes landed on me and he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly.

"What exactly do you think you are doing? Why did you send this over here?"

Killua and Gon watched me curious, not knowing what my plan was. I simply shrugged and flicked the rod again. This slight detour in my plan wouldn't stop me from getting my target. The hook flew from Kurapika's fingers and landed on his tabard. Flicking the rod so that the line headed back towards me, the hook hooked onto Kurapika's tag and brought it back with it.

"This is what I wanted." I stated, holding up his tag as I passed the rod back to Gon. The two younger boys were laughing and smiling, enjoying the show.

"Why would you want my tag?" Kurapika seemed confused. I shrugged again, showing that there was no clear reason. Sighing and placing his book down, the blond walked over and held out his hand, politely and silently asking for his tag. Letting a rare smile slip through, I hid the tag behind my back and responded with a cheeky "Error 404, Kurapika's tag could not be found!" [3]

Killua and Gon lost it at this point, not being able to contain their amusement. The joke was too good.

Kurapika knelt in front of me so that we were face to face and smiled, tilting his head.

"This is the first time I have seen you smile. I must say you look better with it." [4]

The compliment threw me off, shock completely erasing my smile. I couldn't put my blank façade back up; the random out of place comment had completely ruined my composure. By the time my shock had worn off Kurapika had already walked back over to his spot and had sat down, still smiling. Looking over at me, he held up his tag and spoke with an obviously amused, victorious tone, "By the way, my tag _could_ be found. You were just using the wrong web server." [5]

" _He had used that moment of shock to get his tag back!"_ I thought, stunned, _"He had used that compliment against me!"_

Kurapika had seemed to be the polite, reserved type when I met him. It seemed as though he had a mischievous side as well, a side he rarely let out. Deciding that I shouldn't get mad over it, I ran with the joke and smiled again.

"Well played, Kurapika-san. Well played."

* * *

The last few hours went by like a blur.

As soon as they were awake Killua and Gon were at it again, throwing pillows at each other and wrestling again. Leorio and Tonpa had a contest to see who could annoy the other the most, sticking their feet in each other's faces and stinking each other out with their socks. Kurapika mowed through the remaining books. I ended up getting into a quiet conversation with him over what books we both liked and even got into a heated discussion over a book series we both enjoyed. He stated that he enjoyed reading 'the outside''s books and learning about different cultures. I didn't exactly know what he meant by 'the outside' but I just agreed and silently listened, not interrupting him while he talked. [6]

A few hours later Leorio ended up doing some working out, taking off his shirt and doing sit ups and presses. I ended up teaching Gon and Killua that game I had mentioned the day before. It was basically a game of patty cake to the tune of Yankee Doodle [7]; I used to play it with my sister all the time. Neither of the two could beat me and after a couple of rounds Killua gave up and suggested that he and Gon joined Leorio. The two ended up doing a mixture between push ups and headstands. They didn't take the workout as serious as Leorio though and they ended up just turning it into a fun contest between them.

Gon and Killua ended up starting a food fight during brunch, throwing their food around. I don't even remember how it started; I think Gon stole one of Killua's bars or something. Me and Kurapika just hid behind the couch, drinking our tea and conversing as the other two older males were dragged into the fight. [8]

By the 6 hours left mark, Leorio had ended up stealing a book off of Kurapika and had joined him in reading. Kurapika didn't seem to mind, it must've been a book he had already finished. Tonpa simply napped. Killua ended up demanding a rematch, wanting to beat me at my own game. Gon decided to just watch this time, being the referee. Killua once again continued to lose. I _did_ try to make him feel better by saying that I had been playing this version of patty cake since I was a child and that with practice he could beat me. He didn't take my reassurement and just sulked for awhile.

By the 3 hour mark, Killua had introduced Gon and I to a hand game that he was the master of. It was simple, throw your hand down in a karate chop like action and if Killua caught your hand, he got to flick your forehead. Gon and I both realised that we couldn't win and within seconds both of our foreheads were red. Killua had gotten his revenge. It was around this moment that Tonpa woke up from his nap.

Kurapika had ended up blazing through the entire bookshelf, finishing every book by the 30 minute mark. I once again conversed with him about it. I ended up regretting not reading as well, not all of the books had been history ones, some of them actually seemed interesting. Kurapika cheered me up by picking out his favourite of the books and passing it to me, saying that I had half an hour left to read. And that was exactly what I did.

"Ready to go!" Gon cheered when the clock displayed that there was two minutes left. Everyone had gotten up and prepared themselves, standing by the door excitedly.

"Chu, get up. We need to head off soon." Killua complained, nudging my leg with his foot. I had lost track of time and hadn't gotten ready like the rest of them, getting really involved in my reading. I could definitely see why Kurapika picked this one as his favourite. [9]

"Aww, but I'm not done yet." I muttered, closing the book and getting up, "Apparently this is the first in a series too. I wanna read more."

"You and Kurapika are total nerds." was the albino's response as I put the book back on the shelf, "Would you rather read than pass the Exam?"

"I never said that." I stated, putting my bag on and joining the boys by the door. Kurapika put on a thinking face but whatever he had been contemplating he had dismissed almost instantly as his thinking face melted away.

As soon as the last two minutes were up, Gon bolted out of the door excitedly. Leorio quickly yelled at him to wait up as he chased after him, Killua casually following the two. Tonpa strode out of the room, muttering "Good riddance" as he went. Kurapika and I followed the four, Kurapika sighing and mumbling something along the lines of "Irresponsible" and "They should be more careful…"

Honestly I was just glad we were actually getting places now. I _needed_ to pass this Exam.

* * *

After awhile, I quickly realised I actually wouldn't have minded if I had just read instead of tried to pass the Exam. We ran around in circles for thirty minutes, rode a mine cart, ran through a room full of falling tiles and fled from a rolling boulder. By this time, we only had an hour left. I mean, I wanted and needed to pass the Exam, but I would've rather spent the past nine or so hours reading that book series.

" _I'm just surprised no one has noticed I'm a girl yet."_ I thought as I brushed dust off of my coat _"I've been yelling and screaming the entire time. I only just barely managed to keep my hood up as well."_

After escaping the boulder we came up to the next Majority Rules choice.

"We're supposed to vote on whether to open the door?" Leorio asked as we all approached said door, "We need to move on. So obviously, we want to open the door."

I watched everyone lift their wrists and press buttons on their watches. I felt a bit cheated, I don't get a say in this.

I mean, I would've picked to open the door, but still…

The score showed four of us had picked O and one had picked X. Leorio instantly jumped on Tonpa, blaming him.

"I've had enough of your crap."

"Wait, I pressed O." Tonpa reasoned defensively.

"Don't lie… You specialise in ruining other people's chances!"

I sighed, glancing at the now opened door. Did it really matter if Tonpa had pressed the wrong button? The door opened either way.

"Sorry, Leorio."

"Eh?"

"I accidentally pressed the wrong button."

Gon's honesty was touching as he jumped to defend Tonpa. I had to barely keep the smile off of my face.

"What? Oh, I see." Leorio dropped Tonpa and turned to walk through the door.

"Wait."

" _Oh come on! Can't we just leave!?"_ I began to grow irritated at both of these grown men. The door was open! Let's just move on! We only have an hour left!

"Huh?"

"You owe me an apology. I can't let that slide."

"It's your own fault, for doing things to make me distrust you."

"But still, you shouldn't have jumped to the conclusion Tonpa-san did it. Now can we please just move on?" I asked, getting irritated. Both men ignored me while the other three gave me understanding looks. We needed to go.

"I don't owe you anything."

"You make it sound like I'm to blame for everything that's gone wrong." Tonpa fired back, riling up Leorio further.

"What?"

"Have you forgotten who cost us those fifty hours? You're the one who made a critical mistake."

Kurapika jumped in, reaching out and putting a hand on Leorio to try and calm him down "Hey, Leorio…"

"Shut up Kurapika!" Kurapika's hand was immediately brushed off. The pain was very clear on his face. All of us just wanted this to end.

My irritation was at breaking point, I was about to lose it.

Leorio and Tonpa got into a fighting stance. Gon quickly stood next to Kurapika, holding his hands out, "Stop this, guys. It's my fault for pressing the wrong button."

"The door's also _unlocked_ , you know. We can _move on_ now." I pressed on, irritation and anger seeping through my words. It was very hard to keep my blank face on when I so desperately wanted to knock these two into the wall.

"Stupid. I'm moving on." Killua stated, slipping through the unlocked door. Gon instantly shouted "Wait, Killua!" as he turned to the door. Killua popped his head back through, a smile on his face.

"Hey, Gon… We're getting close to the goal."

"What? Really?" Everyone turned to Killua in surprise and relief.

Gon instantly raced after Killua. Tonpa and Leorio gave each other one last glare before following the two boys as if they weren't just about to maul each other. Kurapika mouthed the words "Are you alright?" as the two of us followed the rest of them. I nodded, trying my best not to let anymore irritation out. Kurapika nodded, ending our silent exchange with a small smile.

Everyone gathered in front of the two doors. Killua decided to be the one to read out the last challenge.

"Let's see… 'This will be the last decision made by majority rule. Are you ready? Choose O or X.' That's it."

"Am I ready? You bet." Leorio stated as everyone apart from me voted. Once again, it was four O's and one X.

"Bastard…" before Leorio could jump on Tonpa again; Kurapika very quickly cut him off with a loud "Stop! We don't have time to argue about this!"

Beeps rang out as the statue's forehead dot blinked red before permanently staying red. The Examiner's voice rang out throughout the room.

"Please select a path. There are two choices. One path allows five-six to pass, but is long and difficult. The other path allows only three, but is short and easy. Incidentally, the long and difficult path requires a minimum of forty-five hours. The short and easy path leads to the goal in approximately three minutes. Press O for the long and difficult path, and X for the short and easy path. If X is selected, two people must be secured to the wall with handcuffs, before the door will open. The two chained members will be unable to move until the time limit expires."

Everyone glanced around the room, tense. We all knew what this meant.

"With the addition of applicant #355, there is no longer the right amount of restraints on the wall. Should X be chosen, the third person to be left behind will be free to move around. The door will only open when this third person has consented to not move. This could be achieved many ways."

" _Kill or knock out the third applicant, basically."_ I thought bitterly.

"The examiners were very prepared." Killua commented, examining the weapons, "I think they have every weapon under the sun here."

"Three out of six…" Kurapika muttered, "So we're supposed to fight, to decide the three who pass?"

"Let me make this clear. I'm going to press X. But I have no intention of staying behind. I'll do whatever it takes to be one of the three…" Leorio warned, looking at us with a threatening look. Tonpa was instantly at his throat, "You're shameless. Had you not wasted fifty hours, we could have taken the long path. Shouldn't you take responsibility and stay behind?"

"What!?"

"I'm sure everyone else agrees! Have I said anything inaccurate?" Tonpa asked, glancing at the rest of us. The room remained tense and silent, no one agreeing or disagreeing.

"Hold on." Gon cut in, drawing everyone's attention to him, "I'm going to press O. We made it all the way here together. I want us all to pass together."

"Gon…" Kurapika started, probably about to lecture him.

"Even if it's a big risk, I want to give it a shot!"

"Come on… You can't really call this a risk. We have less than an hour. Gon, there's only one choice if you want to pass this exam."

"There you have it." Leorio finished it off.

"I don't even get a say in the matter…" I complained, glancing at everyone's watches, "I agree with Gon-san, but I can't even vote if I wanted to…"

Gon looked at me sympathetically. He didn't want to fight just as much as I didn't. I did agree that pressing X and fighting was the only way to pass, but I didn't want to hurt anyone. I may have been suspicious at first, but I knew that these people, with maybe the exception of Tonpa, were kind-natured and respectable. I didn't want to fight my new acquaintances.

" _I have to though. I need to pass this exam, for them…"_

"Now we have to decide how to choose which three pass." Killua stated, "Well, I'm planning on two of them being you and me."

Gon frowned still, not liking Killua's idea. Kurapika looked really pained, he didn't want to fight but knew he had to.

I didn't realise Tonpa had moved and grabbed an axe before I felt the wind blast next to me.

"Leorio-san!" I panicked; grabbing Leorio's arm and pulling us back as the two of us just barely avoided Tonpa's swing, the axe embedding itself in the floor.

"Tonpa, that was dirty!" Leorio shouted. Kurapika pulled out his bokken. Everyone seemed tense and ready to defend themselves.

"In a fight, there's no such thing as dirty!" Tonpa shouted as he continued to swing at Leorio. Leorio grabbed a weapon for himself, shouting out curses.

"Stop this, you two!" Kurapika shouted warningly, hands on his bokken ready to defend.

"Come on… Let's do it together." Gon looked really distressed, I couldn't blame him. I felt pressured as well.

"Before we start fighting, we have to choose O or X!" Leorio yelled as he defended himself.

"It's too late for that!" was Tonpa's response. I watched the axe hit the wall, leaving a large crack. I glanced at the dent in the floor as well.

" _The weapons can break the walls and floors…"_

A plan quickly formed in my head at this realisation. Glancing over at Gon, I realised he probably had the same idea.

"Time to put you in your place."

"Right back at you."

Killua sighed quietly as the two men yelled insults and curses, "Seems our only choice is to fight."

I winced as he pulled out his claws. I'd only seen them once before but they still surprised me. And what's worse is that I knew _exactly_ what he wanted to do with them.

Kurapika looked conflicted, not wanting to fight and not knowing if he should. I nudged his side and shook my head, indicating that he shouldn't. He gave me an unconvinced look but regardless didn't jump in straight away. Kneeling down next to Gon, I started whispering to him.

"You have the same idea I do, don't you?"

Glancing at the dents, he nodded. I flashed him a barely noticeable smile.

"Get their attention. I'll back you up."

I stood up and straightened myself out as Gon nodded in understanding, backing up and grabbing a weapon. I did the same. Kurapika gave me a confused look, hadn't I just told him not to fight? I flashed him the same reassuring smile as I did Gon, silently telling him to trust me.

"Guys, Chu and I have a plan! Stop fighting!" Gon shouted, trying to get their attention.

"Why should we!? What's the point!?" Leorio shouted back, clashing weapons with Tonpa. I huffed and stalked towards them, my irritation finally breaking free. Slamming my weapon down, I pinned the other weapons to the ground, creating a giant crater. Both men struggled to free their weapons, glaring at me.

"If you would stop bickering like goddamn children for two seconds, I'll explain!" I growled, giving them both warning glares. Both men paused, still glaring at me but knowing better than to fight back. Compared to the usual, quiet, blank-faced me, my angry self was very violent and _very_ intimidating.

Pointing to the crater we had just formed, I decided to treat them like the children they were.

"What's that?"

"A crater." Leorio muttered.

"What caused the crater?"

"Our weapons." Tonpa responded angrily.

"What does this mean?"

"That our weapons can break the floors!" Tonpa growled, "Stop treating us like we're babies!"

"I'm treating you like that because that's how you're acting!" I yelled back before continuing my lesson, "What else can our weapons break?"

"The walls." Killua offered, putting his claws away. He and Kurapika were getting it instantly.

"What's the point of this?" Leorio snapped.

I sighed and pulled my weapon away, letting the two men free their weapons.

"Press O."

"Why!?"

"Just do it!" I refused to elaborate further. If they didn't get it by now, I wasn't going to bother explaining it. I was far too irritated with the two.

"Please, just trust us." Gon asked, coming up behind me and holding my hand, silently telling me that it would be alright.

I heard buttons being pressed as Kurapika and Killua come up to our side, both of them relaxed and relieved. Gon pressed his button as well.

Leorio and Tonpa looked at us unconvinced before realising that it wouldn't matter, considering that the majority had pressed O. Both of them gave up and pressed their own buttons.

Five O, no X.

The O door slid open. Keeping my weapon, I strode through the door. Gon came with me of course, smiling and holding my hand. He was really glad that he didn't have to fight.

" _Let's just hope this works."_ I thought bitterly as we all faced the wall leading to the short path. On the way out, Kurapika and Killua had grabbed weapons of their own.

"What's the point in this?" Leorio asked as I let go of Gon's hand and braced myself.

"We break through."

It seemed to finally click in their heads. All of us raised our weapons and swung, hitting the wall with all of our might. Slowly but surely, we continued to break our way through the wall.

"Hey, Chu?" Leorio cut through the silence that had formed between us as the wall grew thinner and thinner, "I'm sorry for irritating you. You were right, I was acting like a child."

He seemed disappointed with himself. By now, my blank façade had returned as I had calmed down enough. I simply shook my head and kept swinging, "It's fine. I was acting rude and impulsive as well. I suppose the Exam has got us all on edge. It's not your fault."

Leorio looked like he wanted to argue but only sighed, continuing to work on the wall. Tonpa snorted, not wanting to admit his brashness. I honestly didn't care at this point. I just wanted this to be over.

Eventually, the wall finally crumbled after fifty five minutes. "We did it!" Gon cheered, dropping his weapon. All of us were dusty and covered in sweat and blisters.

"Let's finish this phase." I said determinedly, "Together!"

Everyone nodded, smiles starting to peak through. We were all in a much better mood.

Dropping my weapon, I took a step through the hole and into the darkness that lay beyond…

… only to scream and slide down yet another slide.

"NOT AGAAAAAIINN!"

* * *

 **Omake:**

"If you would stop bickering like goddamn children for two seconds, I'll explain!" I growled, giving them both warning glares. Both men paused, still glaring at me but knowing better than to fight back. Compared to the usual, quiet, blank-faced me, my angry self was very violent and _very_ intimidating.

Pointing to the crater we had just formed, I decided to treat them like the children they were.

"What's that?"

I was very surprised when Leorio actually started emitting baby noises, sucking on his thumb and gurgling. Tonpa dropped to the floor and started flailing, wailing and hitting the floor angrily.

I glanced back at the other three, praying that I wasn't the only sane one left in this omake. All of three of them were sweatdropping.

"Glad I'm not alone in this one."

Killua glanced at the two men-turned-babies and shrugged, dropping to the ground and throwing his fist around.

"May as well join them I guess. NOW GET ME MY CANDY!"

"That looks like fun!" Gon smiled before jumping onto Kurapika's back "Mama! Killua wants his candy!"

Kurapika and I exchanged exasperated glances.

"I suppose I'm the mother then?" was his response, sounding irritated.

"Should I start calling you Mamapika?" [10]

"Please don't."

I laughed at his misfortune, only for the realisation to hit me.

"WHAT DOES THAT MAKE ME!? THEIR DAD!?"

* * *

[1] – This is literally the first thing I do when I go to a hotel. Snoop. Usually there are lost coins or candy!

[2] – She's actually showing emotion!? XD

[3] – That was a horrible joke Chu and you should not be ashamed.

[4] – Smooth Kurapika is smooth. Also, yes, Chu finally smiled. You're welcome.

[5] – That was a horrible joke Pika and you should not be ashamed.

[6] – The Kurta/Kuruta/however you prefer to spell it clan were separated from the rest of the world, which they called 'the outside'. Chu doesn't know much about the Kurta and therefore doesn't understand that Kurapika treats what she thinks is just one world as two separate worlds, his forest home world and the outside world.

[7] – I actually took this from a video game I play, Project DIVA F 2nd. It's a mini game where you flick the PS3 controller sticks to the tune of Yankee Doodle while the character on screen does patty cake hand motions. Just look up 'Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd Yankee Doodle' and you should find it.

[8] – I imagined them with moustaches and tea, talking all formal with British accents. "Care for more tea, Chu?" "Don't mind if I do, good sir!" XD

[9] – I wonder what book series it is? I kinda wanna read it now…

[10] – Heh, Mamapika… XD

* * *

Me: This is somewhat more of a filler, considering how much of the chapter was just chapter development and Chu being bipolar. Oh well! It's done now! Also, the chapter name refers to the Error 404 joke and the excess sliding in order to exit the tower. Aren't I just creative with titles? XD

Gon: We hope you enjoyed the chapter! Bye bye!


	6. Insecurities X And X Allies

Me: I'm really sorry for the delay! Holidays have just started up for me so now, I finally have time to update again. Yay! *throws confetti* Let's get this show on the road!

To Juliedoo:

Me: Thank you for taking the time to read this! I appreciate your feedback! :3

To BizzyLizy:

Me: I am the expert at jokes. Also who knew Kurapika had a joking side? XD And no problem, I aim to please!

To MidoriEmerald13:

Me: When watching Hunter X Hunter for the first time, all I thought was "If I was there I would so be snooping around! There's probably like five cent coins or hotel candy bars hidden in there!" and then when writing this I was like "Well, Chu's a lot like me so…" and then yeah. Overboard thoughts are always welcome here. Damn, I should've made Chu find something weird in the omake! Hey, next time you have overboard thoughts, you tell me and I'll work them into an omake for you, okay? XD Also, Mamapika and Chupapa are things now. I wonder if there's a hashtag…

Chu: *sighs* I think we started something. Probably a cult.

Kurapika: The Mamapika and Chupapa cult?

Chu: Exactly.

Kurapika: *sweatdrops* At least it's not a shipping cult. Question is… *points at your dead body* Where should we bury this one?

Chu: Just sacrifice her body to the cult or something. It'd be too much of a hassle to bury her. The more important question is… what do we do with _these_? *holds up chocolates and dresses her and Kurapika actually brought you*

Kurapika: *thinking face* Hmm… Give the dresses to Neon and… keep the chocolates for ourselves. It is not as if Midori-san will be needing them in the afterlife and it would be a waste to throw them away.

Chu: *already starting to eat the chocolates* Whatever you say, _Mamapika_.

Kurapika: -_-

Me: I regret making this a thing now.

To Arrow-chan3:

Me: Just don't die from laughter like Midori-san did! XD Thanks for reading!

Chu: *still eating chocolates* First it was Chupapa and now it's Papachu. You people need to make up your minds!

Kurapika: -_- Will you at least _share_ the chocolate?

Chu: Nope~

To SupremeGeneralJoker:

Me: And you have the best avatar! I'd say we're even! :3

To SmileRen:

Me: Oh man… It's been awhile hasn't it? … Oops?

To Chieko Minamino:

Me: I won't discontinue anytime soon. Thank you for liking my story and even reading it in the first place! Reading praises encourages me! X3

Disclaimer: Hunter X Hunter and its 2011 adaptation belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own my OCs, sub-plots and anything not included in the original series. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Insecurities X And X Allies**

 **Previously:**

Eventually, the wall finally crumbled after fifty five minutes. "We did it!" Gon cheered, dropping his weapon. All of us were dusty and covered in sweat and blisters.

"Let's finish this phase." I said determinedly, "Together!"

Everyone nodded, smiles starting to peak through. We were all in a much better mood.

Dropping my weapon, I took a step through the hole and into the darkness that lay beyond…

… only to scream and slide down yet another slide.

"NOT AGAAAAAIINN!"

* * *

 **Now:**

No one's POV

"Kurapika, applicant #404, is the twenty-fourth to pass. Killua, applicant #99, is the twenty-fifth to pass. Gon, applicant #405, is the twenty-sixth to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes." Beans' voice echoed through the room said three had just entered. All three seemed relieved.

"My butt hurts…" Killua was immediately complaining "I didn't expect a slide for the short and easy path."

"That was really close." Gon said to Kurapika as Beans warned the applicants of the time.

"My hands are covered with blisters." Kurapika responded, holding up his hands.

"Same here." Leorio grunted as he and Tonpa approached the door, the both of them fighting to be the first through.

"Leorio, applicant #403, is the twenty-seventh to pass. Tonpa, applicant #16, is the twenty-eighth to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes."

The three younger males watched the two older ones until a young voice cut off their grunting.

"Oi, stop taking up the doorway. I wish to pass as well you know."

Within seconds the owner of the voice shoved the two older ones through the door, making them slam face first into the ground.

"Chu, applicant #355, is the twenty-ninth to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes."

Chu strode through the door, passing the older companions and coming up to Gon's side.

"Was it really necessary to push us through!?" Tonpa growled as he and Leorio got up off the ground.

"Yes. Any second longer and I might've failed." Chu sighed.

"My hands are blistered, but all five of us cleared the tower together." Leorio held out his hands smiling, "All thanks to Gon and Chu!"

He put both of his hands on said people's heads, ruffling them. Chu immediately smacked his hand away before adjusting her hood. Gon just smiled and accepted the praise.

"We entered the long and difficult path. Then cut a hole in the wall, to sneak into the short and easy path." Kurapika recounted as they all looked at the two smiling.

"Man, I can't believe you two actually came up with that idea on the spot."

"I realised that we could break the walls, using the weapons. But it took over fifty minutes." Gon stated happily.

"Regardless, you two came up with something like that on the spot! Without your plan, all of us wouldn't have been able to pass!" Leorio continued to praise his friends.

"You don't have to keep acting like we're the best things in the world." Chu pouted, looking away in embarrassment, "We were just using common sense. And besides, Gon-san's the one that deserves all of the praise. He stayed optimistic the entire time and came up with the plan first. I wasn't nearly as level-headed."

"Eeeeh?" Gon turned to the hooded applicant and started protesting, "You came up with the plan at the same time as me! You deserve just as much credit."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do, Chu! You helped convince everyone to go along with the plan as well! If anything, you did more than me!"

"I didn't do hardly as much as you."

"Does this really matter?" Killua came between the bickering duo, huffing, "We all passed and that's what matters. Stop bickering, you tsunderes."

"Tsundere!?" [1]

Kurapika watched the three fight with a warm smile, relieved and impressed.

" _In an extreme situation, you both were able to calmly evaluate our two options and circumvent them."_

Killua seemed to have calmed both of them down, making them both agree that they both deserved praise. Though Chu still seemed bothered about being called a tsundere. Gon didn't even seem to care.

" _That's what makes you two special."_

* * *

Chu's POV

A buzzer sounded throughout the room as Beans once again started speaking over the loud speaker.

"The Third Phase of the exam is over. Thirty applicants have passed. One has died."

As soon as he finished speaking a large door slowly opened. One by one we all poured out of the tower. The relief was instantaneous, fresh air filled our lungs. The bottom of the tower was windier than the top, I had to quickly hold onto my hood to keep it on. [2]

In front of us stood a creepily-smiling man with a purple Mohawk and large gleaming glasses. As soon as everyone was out, he spoke. I quickly recognised his voice as Lippo, the examiner.

"Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower. Only the Fourth and the Final Phase remain."

"Two more…" #294 remarked. Everyone seemed relieved. We were nearly done.

"The Fourth Phase will take place over there, on Zevil Island. Let us proceed." Lippo clicked his fingers. Instantly, a man wearing a yellow and green outfit rolled up a box of some sort next to Lippo.

"I will need you to draw lots."

The crowd immediately fired questions, murmuring curiously.

"Lots?"

"For what?"

"To determine who will hunt and who will be hunted. In here are twenty-nine numbered cards. In other words, your ID numbers are on the cards. Now, I need you each to draw a card, in the order by which you exited the tower. Will the first person come forward?"

The confusion instantly turned to hostility. We were tense and unsure about the situation.

" _So we need to hunt a target, while also being hunted by another person?"_ I thought as I watched Hisoka stalk up to the box and put his hand in the slot, _"This could be bad. I could be stuck with a strong person as my target. Or worse, a strong person with me as their target."_

One by one, everyone marched up to the box and took a card. The cards had one red side and one white, a peel-off covering preventing anyone from seeing what was on the white side.

" _So, they're keeping the numbers on the cards secret?"_

"Are you alright?" Kurapika whispered to me as we watched #53 go up to grab his card, "You've been looking ill since halfway through the Third Phase."

"I'm fine. Just a little apprehensive." I responded before nudging him, "It's your turn."

Kurapika nodded, sending me an unconvinced look before determinedly walking towards the box.

" _Do I really look that bad?"_ I asked myself, watching the blond go up, _"My emotions have been awry since that fall. Did I hurt my head? I haven't been able to keep myself as distant or as blank as before ever since then. And I've been more susceptible to fear and anger."_

"Oi, it's your turn." Leorio nudged me as Tonpa walked back towards the group. Had I really been spacing out for that long?

" _What's wrong with me?"_

I silently walked up to the box and grabbed the last remaining card. I was the last person to pass.

"Everyone's taken a card?" Lippo asked as soon as I pulled out the card, "Then, remove the seal from your card."

Everyone glanced at him before pointedly removing the seal. I walked back to the others before removing my seal.

132\. No one I knew.

"The card indicates your target."

Everyone immediately grew frantic, most people covering their tags with their hands. It was dangerous for people to see your number.

"This box has recorded which card each of you drew. This means that you're free to dispose of the cards if you wish. The objective is to steal your target's ID tag."

"Oh, so we don't need to kill each other." #198 commented, looking relieved. His hopes were dashed when Lippo continued, "Naturally, you're free to use any method you choose to steal the ID tags. Including killing your target and taking the tag off the corpse."

" _Get the tag by any means necessary basically. Everyone's life is in danger one way or the other."_ My thoughts went down a negative road, _"Just because I don't know my target doesn't mean I don't know the applicant hunting me. What if I'm Hisoka's or Gittarackur's target? Or one of the four boys I've been working with?"_

"That sounds like the fastest way." #197 responded. #198 looked distraught, "S-So that's what this is about?"

"Fool, there's nothing to be scared of." #199 tried to reassure #198. I didn't agree.

"Listen carefully." Lippo commanded, regaining everyone's attention, "Your target's ID tag is worth three points. Your own ID is also worth three points. All other ID tags are worth one point. You need six points to advance to the Final Phase. So while on Zevil Island, you must gather enough ID tags to total six points. That is the condition for clearing the Hunter Exam's Fourth Phase."

" _The minimum amount of tags is two while the maximum is six. The easiest way to go about this is to keep my tag safe and collect my target's. If I lose my own or if I fail to collect my target's, it would mean needed to collect individual tags until I have six points."_ I sighed inaudibly _"This is beyond frustrating."_

* * *

"I'd like to commend everyone on board for their excellent work during the Hunter Exam's Third Phase!"

After being forced onto a boat, we were all sailing towards Zevil Island, the place where we'd hunt each other. The tension on the boat was thick. Everyone had hidden away their tags and no one was letting anyone know any details.

The orange-haired hostess stood in front of us all, smiling cheerfully.

"I will serve as your guide. My name is Khara! It will take two hours for this boat to reach Zevil Island. All twenty-nine applicants remaining here are automatically qualified to take next year's exam! So if you fail this year, don't feel bad. Please try again next year…"

It was as if she was being too cheerful in comparison to the mood we were all in. It was like saying "Hey, you'll all be killing each other within two hours! In the mean time, let's play some Twister!"

She must've noticed how depressing the mood was because her words gradually slowed and her smile seemed to lose its cheerfulness. I almost felt bad for her.

"The battle has already begun." Kurapika commented dryly, examining the boat.

"Yeah, everyone's removed their ID tags, and hid them." Leorio added.

"Well, you're free to do as you like, for the next two hours. Please enjoy the boat ride." Khara quickly waved and left with a forced smile, probably not being able to handle the depressing mood.

"Speaking hypothetically…" Leorio ignored Khara, glancing at Kurapika briefly, "If you happened to be my target, I wouldn't show any mercy."

"Naturally. If you happened to be my target, I would say the same." Kurapika didn't seem fazed by Leorio's words. Leorio started to freak out.

"Am I your target?"

"I was speaking hypothetically." Kurapika responded with a smile.

"Oh, right…" Leorio didn't seem convinced.

"Don't worry. You are not my target.

"I-I see. And you aren't my target!" Leorio panicked as Kurapika got up and walked off. I watched the two converse from the other side of the boat. The relationship between the two was amusing.

I didn't notice Kurapika heading towards me until I felt his stare on me as he sat down. A moment of silence passed between us before I finally broke it.

"You wish to ask me 'Are you alright?' again."

"How did you know?"

"You were staring at silently in concern." I looked over at him, hiding the amusement I felt, "You most likely just didn't wish to bother me again, am I right?"

He nodded, looking curious and concerned, "Your change in behaviour just concerns me. That, and you look very bruised and pale."

"It concerns me as well. I used to be so good at hiding everything away. Now… I don't know." I responded, huffing quietly, "And my bruises aren't as bad as they were at first. There is no need for you to worry so much."

"You are my friend. I have the right to worry." was his quick reply. It made me tense.

" _I knew it! I've gotten too close to them! I need to push him away! They'll just get hurt and I'll only end up owing them more!"_

I couldn't form the words. My frustration started building.

"I understand that you wish to push me away. That is fine, as well." I looked at him in surprise as he smiled, "That does not change the fact that I, as well as the others, consider you a friend. Please understand this."

Silence stretched between us, I didn't know what to say. I was already aware that Gon felt that way about me, I hurt his feelings before because of this, but I didn't realise I had impacted all of them.

" _All I've been doing is helping them and accompanying them in return for their help and company. Does that classify them as my friends? I've tried my best to keep it on a professional, acquaintance basis. Sure, I joked and smiled a little, but is that enough to make them wish to be with me?"_

Sensing that the topic needed to change, Kurapika nudged me and tilted his head smiling, "Do you know who your target is?"

Glad the topic had changed, I quickly responded with a question of my own, "Do you?"

"Naturally."

I felt a bit ashamed that I didn't know my target. I hadn't bothered to memorise everyone's numbers and by the time I had thought to check everyone had already put their tags away. I wasn't about to ask Kurapika for anymore help though, I owed him enough.

Deciding to keep my number a secret, I decided to pull a Leorio, "If, hypothetically, I was your target, what would you do?"

"Attempt to take your tag. I wouldn't hold back." His response was very serious.

"If you were my target, I don't think I would try to take your tag."

"Why not?"

"I owe you too much." I didn't want to tell him this, but my lips were moving on their own, "I'm only here because of you and the others. It would be unfair to betray you after all this time. I think I would prefer to take three random tags instead."

Kurapika stayed silent, considering what I had said.

" _Why are you telling him this!? Just push him away! Push him off the boat and run! I'm not here to make friends, I'm not here to get close to him! So stop being nice to him!"_

"This is why you concern me."

His response confused me. Seeing the look on my face, he continued with a frown.

"One moment, you are acting distant and refusing to admit that we are friends. The next moment, you are acting caring and generous, selflessly trying to help me. Your responses are varied and very bipolar. You intrigue and concern me."

"I concern myself." I responded. I didn't want to be like this. I didn't want to be with him. Why was I making friends with him when I'm trying to push him away so desperately?

Deciding I needed some time alone, he smiled softly and pat my shoulder before getting up and heading back towards Leorio. He knew I was struggling with myself.

" _This only started after I met them! This only started when I entered this Exam! I was never like this before!"_ I berated myself, hugging my knees close to me, _"I haven't expressed emotions since the incident. I haven't felt this close to anyone since they…"_

I stopped my own thoughts from going any further. I didn't want any more emotions to leak out. I didn't want to appear sad. I just wanted my blank façade to come back.

" _I'm here for them. No one else. Just those two. I'll get stronger. I'll find him. I'll do everything for them. Emotions just get in the way."_

"Are you okay, Chu?"

I forced myself to stop breaking down mentally, looking up with a cracking blank façade. Gon peered down at me, looking worried and pouting.

"You look like you're about to cry."

I didn't respond, I just stared up at him while my façade continued to break.

Gon plopped down next to me, yawning cutely while smiling.

"I'm a bit tired. Do you mind if I sleep next to you?"

"Aren't you worried that I'll steal your tag?"

"I heard you and Kurapika talking. Doesn't the same apply to me?"

His innocence and naivety struck a chord in me. Before I could even ask him about the other applicants, he had already fallen into my lap, snoring quietly with a content smile. He probably hadn't meant to fall asleep on me, but I couldn't blame him. After when we had gone through during Trick Tower, I could understand his weariness.

I sighed and laid my arm over him lazily. Regardless of my own feelings, this young innocent boy considered me a friend and trusted that I would defend him while he slept.

"Why am I caring about these boys when all I should care about is my goal?" I asked myself quietly, murmuring to myself. Glancing down at Gon's sleeping face, I couldn't come up with an answer.

"I suppose I'll figure it out eventually."

* * *

"Why is Gon sleeping? It's dangerous." Killua whined as he, Leorio and Kurapika walked up the two of us. We were approaching the Island and had less than five minutes left on the boat.

"He was tired." was my bland reply.

Nothing had happened during the two hour ride, though I did spot a couple of applicants staring at Gon and I. A man I think was named Geretta kept glancing at Gon, inspecting him. Was Gon his target? A girl that looked around my age with purple hair kept glancing at me worriedly. She seemed scared. Was I her target or was she paranoid, not knowing who would be hunting her? Either way, the both of them avoided looking at us after a quick warning glance from me. If Gon wanted me to protect him while he was sleeping, I would. Even if I didn't consider him a friend, it was the least I could do.

"Well, wake him up. We're nearly there." Leorio nudged Gon's foot as he spoke. Shaking Gon lightly, I called his name quietly. Gon opened his gold eyes and sat up, instantly awake.

"Are we there?"

"How does he do that?" Leorio complained, referring to Gon's sudden energy burst.

"We'll arrive soon Gon. Be patient." Kurapika responded, smiling in amusement.

"Oh, okay!" Gon jumped up cheerfully before spinning and offering his hand to me, "Sorry for sleeping on you Chu! Let me help you up!"

" _Don't let them get any closer. Sort yourself out already dammit!"_

I stood up silently, brushing his hand away as I walked towards where Khara was laying down a bridge.

"What's with him?" I heard Killua faintly ask as I left them.

" _I won't let them any closer until I sort myself out. I'm obviously not myself right now."_

"Thanks for your patience, everyone. We've finally arrived at Zevil Island!" Khara cheerfully called, gaining everyone's attention, "Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase. After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next person's turn. You will stay on this island for exactly one week. During that time, you must amass your six points of ID tags and return here."

I watched everyone one by one exit the boat. I was going to be the last to leave.

" _It'll be difficult to find my target now. I don't even know who my target is."_

Kurapika, Gon and the others flashed me sympathetic looks as they left. They knew I'd be the one with the most disadvantage. Tonpa smirked as he passed by me. I simply ignored him. I had had enough of his games.

"The twenty-ninth person may sta-Huh?" Khara glanced at me sympathetically, "I guess you're the last one. Good luck!"

I nodded, running off the boat as fast as I could. I immediately swirved and zig-zagged as I ran, making my pattern untraceable. I didn't wish to be found. My tag was currently tucked into my bra. No one knew I was female, therefore that would be the last place they'd look. Also, this way, even if I lost my coat I knew my tag would be secure.

" _First things first, scout. Then, I need to find #132. In the mean time, all I have to do is focus on staying alive and keeping my tag safe."_

Jumping and climbing the nearest tree, I perched myself on the highest branch and glanced around.

" _After exploring I should aim for the highest possible point then stay there for the night. Also, I should search for a water source and wash my bruises and cuts. Kurapika-san did raise a point, if I leave it I might get infected or sick. I already look paler than normal. That would be bad, especially since I'm being hunted."_

I jumped out of my current tree and headed towards a particularly tall tree I had spotted. I could sleep there for the night.

" _I'll sort out the rest of my plan later. For now, I should just keep moving."_

* * *

"Trees are uncomfortable…" I groaned as I stretched, waking up from my very light sleep. It wasn't the best sleep in the world, but it would do. Now that it was morning, I could spend the whole day with my main adjective – find water and make sure my bruises are taken care of.

Leorio had offered to look at my injuries during the Third Phase, when we had been in that room. I had declined though, I wasn't about to let anyone examine my body. I, myself, haven't examined the bruises either. I just hoped Kurapika's worry was for nothing.

Running around, I couldn't help but shake the feeling that I was being watched. I brushed it off as paranoia, this was to be expected. I was being hunted after all. I shouldn't start to panic just yet.

" _After I do this, I should focus all of my efforts on finding #132. Then I just need to spend the remainder of my time keeping myself and my tag safe."_ I started concocting a plan to find and steal #132's tag. I knew it would require stealth and careful planning on my part. And it would be difficult to even find someone I didn't know.

My plan-making paused abruptly when I felt a faint breeze and heard the sound of trinkling liquid. It could only mean one thing. Racing towards the source of the noise, I spotted a long stream with nice flowing water. The sun beamed down on the water, meaning it wouldn't be unbearably cold. It seemed deep as well, I wouldn't be too exposed if I went in.

" _Should I though?"_ I frowned, sitting on a rock next to the stream, _"Someone could come by and see me naked. Not only would that be embarrassing but it would also expose my gender. On top of that, it would mean leaving my clothes unattended. If whoever's hunting me came across me while I'm in there…"_

I decided it was worth the risks. My bruises and cuts did need tending to. And as long as I kept a careful eye on my surroundings, I shouldn't get snuck up on, right? I'd only be dipping in for a quick wash anyways.

Going along with it, I stripped and placed my clothes and tag into my bag, then covered the bag with leaves. After camouflaging my belongings enough, I stepped into the stream and submerged myself.

Damn, it was worth it.

My aching body felt a lot better within seconds and I couldn't help but relax and unwind. My bruises seemed to be cleaning themselves.

I stayed there for about two minutes and I was about to get out when…

"Ah! I-I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to intrude!"

Spinning around, I stared at the intruder in surprise. It was the applicant that had been staring at Gon and I before. Her light purple wavy hair reached her ankles and matched her light purple eyes. She was really pale and really thin. All she wore was a white long-sleeved dress, white flats and a pair of round glasses that seemed too big for her. Overall, she didn't seem like the type to be a Hunter.

All that could come out of my mouth was a standard and kind of lame question.

"Who are you!?"

* * *

"I told you, it is alright! It was just an accident. I shouldn't have lowered my guard like that in the first place. It is not your fault."

The applicant refused to stop apologising. By now, I had redressed myself and rehid my tag. Currently, I was sitting next to the girl. I had questions I wished to ask, but I couldn't get a word in.

"B-B-But it is! I-I should've checked if you were decent before I exposed myself! I should've m-m-made s-sure I wasn't interrupting you!"

I sighed and slammed my hand over her mouth. I had tried being polite with her for the past ten minutes and I had lost my patience. I wasn't angry. I was just embarrassed and confused.

"Stop sobbing. I told you it was fine."

She continued to tearlessly cry, looking at me pitifully.

"If I remove my hand you have to stop crying and answer my questions. Understood?"

She nodded. I could tell she was trying to calm down. Removing my hand, she sniffled and readjusted her glasses while calming down.

"What's your name?" I forced my blank, commanding voice to soften. I didn't want to start her up again. [3]

"L-L-Lavender… Lavender Roots…"

"How old are you?"

"T-Twelve…"

"Why is such a young girl taking the Exam?"

"T-Two of your companions are twelve."

"Touché… Why were you following me?"

"I n-n-need your help…"

I rubbed the girls back awkwardly as she calmed down. She reminded me of Gon. Innocent and naïve.

" _Stop it! You're letting her in! Push her away before she gets too close! Don't make the same mistake again!"_

"What do you need help with?" I asked politely, ignoring my thoughts for the time being and not wanting to upset her further.

"An applicant t-took my tag. I-I-I n-need you to h-help me get it back."

"Why me? Why can't you do it yourself?"

"I-I can't do it! I-I-I mean, I c-can handle myself… b-but this applicant is too strong! A-And, I believe y-you're strong enough…"

"I suppose. Why me in particular? There are plenty of strong applicants."

"H-He's your target I believe. #132, Boar."

I frowned, considering the options. On one hand, helping her would be placing her in the same category as Kurapika and the rest and would only make me feel worse. On the other hand, it _was_ my target. And she definitely looked incapable of fighting him. _That_ , and I could take his tag in the process.

"Alright, Lavender-san. I'll he-"

"T-T-Thank you so much!" Lavender was instantly hugging me tightly, "You have n-no idea how grateful I am!"

"I might have some idea…" I muttered.

" _What have I gotten myself into?"_

* * *

Turns out this 'Boar' man was pretty elusive. It took a day and a half to find him. Apparently, he was a pretty brawny man with lots of battle scars. I say apparently because I couldn't see him. We were currently hiding in a tall tree well away from where Boar was situated. We had climbed up there for better leverage, Lavender said she had some binoculars to use. It didn't take long for her to find our target. She had described him to me because I couldn't see him myself from here. She had also mentioned a bit of background information on him, including the fact that he's killed before and is only aiming for the Hunter license so he could kill with minimal consequences.

"No wonder you asked for help." I stated blankly after she had described him to me, "He sounds tough."

"E-E-Exactly. T-That's why I need y-your help!"

I looked downwards, towards the grass below our tree. From the description of him, Boar sounded dangerous. I would put him in the same category as that one blonde applicant who tricked me during the third stage. Not as dangerous as Hisoka or Gittarackur but definitely dangerous enough to warrant wariness. If I was going up against him, I'd have to manipulate him first before striking.

"I was c-c-considering a-asking #44 Hisoka and #301 G-Gittarackur for help b-but you understand why I couldn't…" Lavender piped up, causing me to look at her. Of course, Hisoka and Gittarackur would tear her apart! Regardless of her reasoning.

"Why would you consider that in the first place?"

"Boar's scared of t-them."

"I don't blame him…" I muttered but then suddenly perked up. I _did_ say I needed to manipulate him a little. Maybe I could use this.

" _I don't particularly like using deceit but… whatever is necessary…"_ I reasoned before speaking up.

"Do you still have that number plate we got from Lippo-san before?"

"T-The one with our target's n-number on it?" She asked curiously, "O-O-Of course! Why?"

"Switch with me."

"E-Eh!?"

* * *

If I could fake a blank façade, I could fake a panicked one as well. I purposely increased my breathing, which in turn raised my heart rate. I made my face look scared, pale with wide eyes. I even jumped on the spot a lot to give the illusion that I had been running. I was now ready.

I was hiding behind a tree, just a few meters from Boar's position. He hadn't moved at all in the last few minutes. After switching my number plate with Lavender, I had told her to wait in that tree and to watch over Boar while I was gone. I told her to go get any of the four boys I had been travelling with provided my plan didn't work. I didn't stick around to hear her confused questions as to why. If I needed help, they were the only ones I was willing to get it from.

Now that I had prepped myself, it was time to put my acting skills to the test.

" _Your blank mask is already crumbling. What makes you think this will work out?"_ I second guessed myself, but I quickly shook the doubt away, _"It's a good thing my insecurities are showing right now. It will make my panic look more believable."_

It's show time.

"S-Sir! Please! You've got to help me!" I shouted, bursting into the field Boar was hiding in. Lavender hadn't been exaggerating. He really was a giant ball of muscles. Boar turned to me with an alarmed face before jumping up with a glare, holding a spear in his hands defensively. [4]

"HALT! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"

I paused where I was and stood frigid in front of him. I forced myself to quiver as he glared down at me.

" _Wow, he's tall."_

"WHO ARE YOU!? STATE YOUR BUSINESS OR I'LL STRIKE YOU DOWN, PUNK!"

"W-Wait!" I put my hands out in front of me in a defensive manner, "I-I'm not here to hurt you! You're not my target! I came to warn you!"

"OH REALLY? PROVE YOURSELF! DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR PLATE!?"

"Yeah! L-L-Look!" I pulled out Lavender's number plate frantically. #197 was her target, one of the brothers from before.

Boar glared down at the plate threateningly before waving his spear dismissively.

"I SUPPOSE I AM NOT YOUR TARGET! GOOD! NOW, WHY ARE YOU HERE!?"

"I-I told you! I came to warn you! Y-You know #09?"

"OH YEEEAH, THAT LITTLE PUNK… WHAT ABOUT HER!?"

I pointed in a random direction and started to panic even more in front of him, "S-She's enlisted the help of #44 and #301 in order to get her badge back!"

The look on his face was priceless. He dropped his spear and fell to his knees, pale in the face. His dangerous aura immediately cut off and for once he wasn't yelling.

"H-Hisoka and Gittarackur… H-How did that punk…?"

"Y-You have to help me! I'm #44's target! If we w-w-work together, we can protect ourselves during this phase!"

I was getting through to him. He seemed weak at the moment. This is the moment.

"S-Sure… BUT ONLY FOR THIS PHASE, YOU P-PUNK!" He attempted to sound threatening again, but failed. I had scared him with just the thought of both Hisoka and Gittarackur coming for him.

Reaching into my bag while he was busy mumbling to himself, I picked up a big rock I had hid in there prior. Flicking it behind me, it hit the bushes and made a large sound.

"O-Oh no! They're here!" I freaked out, running and hiding behind Boar. He jumped and spun towards where I had thrown the rock, "REALLY!?"

" _Bingo."_

I reached up and hit a pressure point in between his neck and collarbone. I heard him groan before falling to the ground, passed out. I let out a victorious smile as I reached into his fur coat, retrieving both his and Lavender's tag.

" _I hate to admit it, but I owe Lavender now. Her information really helped. This phase was really easy. At least, the getting the tag part was."_ I thought as I hid the tags with mine and stood up, heading back to where Lavender was quickly. I didn't even bother hiding my emotions again as I hurriedly picked her up, ignored her confused cries, and ran as fast as I could. Boar would only be out for an hour or two. I needed to get us far away before then. Deceit wasn't going to work a second time and I didn't want to actually fight him.

* * *

"I apologise for my abrupt actions. I needed to get us as far away as possible before he awoke." I stated after putting the flustered girl down and forcing myself to look neutral once again. Lavender gave me the most incredulous look while smiling.

"I-I don't even care! That was amazing! I c-c-couldn't hear w-what you were saying but your performance was amazing!" Lavender looked so amazed "You're the best!"

" **You're the best, Oneechan!"**

The sudden flashback caught me off guard. It hadn't had that happen to me in awhile.

Lavender didn't seem to notice my sudden panicked expression as she jumped up and down in celebration.

"I-I can't believe it! You knocked him o-o-out! With one chop! Y-Y-Your acting was sensational!"

I ignored her, frowning and holding my fast beating heart. Lavender did remind me of _her_. So did Gon. But I hadn't had a hallucination like that in awhile. It was a bit frightening.

"What's wrong?"

" **What's wrong, Oneechan…?"**

Lavender must've finally noticed my lack of blankness. She clicked her fingers in front of my face.

"Y-You're spacing out… Snap out o-o-of it!"

I blinked and shook my head, turning away from the purple-haired girl and resting against a tree.

"It is nothing… I just need a bit of rest…"

I heard her sit a little bit away from me. It was silent for a moment before I heard her respond.

"You know… w-when I mentioned your acting… I wasn't just referring to y-y-your performance in front o-of Boar…"

I chose to ignore her, closing my eyes and acting like I was falling asleep.

"I-I know you hide away your emotions. You're actually r-really broken, a-aren't you? Y-You can't control your emotions even if you try, right? So you hide them a-away, instead…"

I flinched, knowing she was right.

"You p-p-push people away and h-hide your emotions. Your emotions are d-destructive. You refuse to h-hurt others, so you h-h-hurt y-yourself. Isn't t-that right? Those boys y-you work with, they're your friends… but you r-refuse to see t-them l-l-like that…"

" _That's it. That's why I'm doing this."_ I no longer felt confused. It was as if she was answering all of my questions for me.

"H-How do I know? Well… my Oneechan… s-she's the same way. I k-know what you're g-g-going through. But…"

I felt her scooch closer. A moment later, her hand touched my shoulder lightly.

"…J-Just know… It's better to let others in… T-They'll comfort you a-and make you feel better… Your friends… even m-me… We'll h-help you in any way we can… I know y-you feel as though you'll only h-h-hurt us or even l-lose us… But we d-don't care… I know it's hard but… We'll b-be there for you… So… Never feel like you need to hide away… E-Even if it take y-y-you a l-long time to let us in, we believe in you! W-We'll wait for you… I'm sure your friends f-feel the same way I do…"

Her hand slowly retracted and I heard her lean against the tree as well. A moment later, I heard her breathing slow. She had fallen asleep.

I considered her advice and realised she had a point. Everything she had said described me perfectly. But was I really willing to let her in? To let the others in?

" **We'll be together forever Oneechan! Forever and ever! Promise?"**

Was I really willing to make that mistake again? [5]

* * *

 **Omake:** [6]

"Same here." Leorio grunted as he and Tonpa approached the door, the both of them fighting to be the first through.

"Leorio, applicant #403, is the twenty-seventh to pass. Tonpa, applicant #16, is the twenty-eighth to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes."

The three younger males watched the two older ones until a young voice cut off their grunting.

"Oi, stop taking up the doorway. I wish to pass as well you know."

Within seconds the owner of the voice shoved the two older ones through the door, making them slam face first into the ground.

But before Chu could pass through the door, Beans' voice cut through the room.

"The Third Phase of the exam is over. Twenty-nine applicants have passed. One has died. Everyone else SUCKS!"

"WHAT!? BUT I'M RIGHT HERE!" Chu roared, stomping on the ground.

"Yes, but you didn't pass through the door. Therefore, you fail~ Haha!"

"EXCUSE ME!?"

"Don't feel too bad Ch-"

"DON'T TELL ME NOT TO FEEL TOO BAD, OLD MAN! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"

* * *

[1] – Something you should NEVER call Chu is tsundere. She will harm you. Even if you are an ex-assassin. XD

[2] – I have to write something along the lines of 'hold onto my hood so it doesn't fall off' every single chapter! Dammit Chu!

[3] – Chu has a soft spot for children. AND NOT IN A HISOKA WAY!

[4] – I based him lightly off of Undyne the Undying from Undertale… That was a lot of U's… I'm sorry.

[5] – This is very important. Keep this in mind.

[6] – Not that funny this time considering how sad this chapter got… Woops?

* * *

Me: This was a really sad chapter… Pretty short too… I'm sorry! Next chapter won't be as sad! And it'll be longer too! Anyways, quick question, is anyone OOC yet? Am I pacing this weirdly? Also, do you guys like Chu? Or Lavender for that matter? Reading your praise makes me feel like I'm doing a god job but I'd like to ask you guys anyways. There's always room to improve. Anyways, Gon take it away!

Gon: We hope you enjoyed the chapter! Bye bye!


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